Tranquil Nights
by ViceroyIcarus
Summary: How a late night of pleasant conversation and contemplation became a small tradition for both captain and navigator. LuNami
1. The 1st Night

_**~The 1st Night~**_

.o0o.

The first night on the Going Merry was peaceful. The sea was calm and the sky clear of clouds as far as the eye could see. Nami loved nights like these. She could navigate her way around the world and as far away from her problems as the Red Line would allow. It was a welcome reprieve from the hectic week that Nami had suffered. From her mission to rob Buggy blind, subsequently meeting Luffy, making a deal with said Pirate and then the whole ordeal with captain Kuro and his "three year plan". It was a lot to work through but nothing Nami couldn't handle. Not that she had the choice anyway.

Luffy was a strange one. For a pirate, at least. He had fought against every preconceived notion Nami had held against pirates many times over. That despite his selfish nature, he cared for those around him and would risk his life for both his dream and comrades. Slowly, but surely, sowing a seed of doubt in her mind about pirates. She had met and conned countless pirates these last eight years, some multiple times, without a second thought to them or what they thought of her. Yet, with Luffy and his crew, Nami found herself getting attached. She was beginning to care.

Nami leaned on to the railing of the Going Merry's bow. The reflection of the waxing moon shone brightly on the water's surface, leaving trails of silver all the way out to the horizon. Despite the peaceful beauty laid out before her, Nami couldn't shake the growing anxiety nesting in the pit of her stomach. She'd have to betray them soon.

Every instinct Nami had cultivated since she was ten screamed at her to do so. To cut the limb before it grew nerves. Lest she begin to lose sight of her goal. That was something that Nami could never allow. Luffy, for all his charisma and strength, would either die to the hands of the true monsters of the oceans.

"_SHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAA!"_

Or his naivety would break and he'd become the very thing he claimed to hate.

Nami flinched at the thought and grabbed her shoulder tightly. For some reason, the thought of Luffy becoming like him horrified Nami to no end. Hearing the rubber man's kind and hearty laughter twisted by malice and hate. No, Nami shook her head, it wasn't worth thinking about. Besides, it was irrelevant. So what if Luffy was a 'good' pirate. So what if Zoro wasn't the vicious monster he was made out to be. So what if Usopp had a genuinely noble goal. One exceptional crew does not disprove the rule. All pirates are vicious, murderous, bastards.

It was the rule Nami swore by. The one thing keeping her detached and safe from a fate worse than death. In her mind it was the symbol of her resolve that she'd never fall prey to pirates like Arlong ever again. So for her to even consider any pirate as anything less than an enemy was unacceptable. After all, how strong could her conviction be if it crumbled to a single dumbass pirate and his equally dumbass crew. Nami needed to crush that seed of doubt before it took root and sprouted.

Nami heaved a deep sigh. It really did upset her at the thought of betraying them. At the anger and hurt that they'd look at her with. That Luffy would look at her with. But it needed to be done. It was a shame though. Luffy seems like such a decent guy.

Resigning herself to her plight once more, Nami looked down to the ocean waves gently lapping against the Going Merry's bow. Silence reigned for what seemed like hours when the door, not so subtly, clicked open making Nami leap out of her skin. It was Luffy. He stood in the doorway, eyes half lidded, like he was about to fall asleep and a half eaten apple in his hand. He glanced up to the end of the deck only just noticing Nami.

"Oh. You're awake too." he took a large bite of the apple, "I thought you went to bed ages ago."

After taking a breath to slow her racing pulse Nami shot the captain a glare, "What of it?" she shot with no small about of venom.

Luffy shrugged and began approaching her, "Dunno." he took another bite, "You're not really the type to stay up late."

Nami fought to keep her glare going as he stepped up to the bow's railing. The Going Merry's figure head the only thing between them. "Well I could hardly sleep with you lot snoring so loudly." A blatant lie. It was that damned anxiety.

Luffy blinked, now looking fully alert, "Oh really? Sorry 'bout that then." he scratched the back of his head looking genuinely apologetic.

"What're _you_ doing up? Now that we have a proper ship you won't be able to lay about till noon because you were up late." Nami leaned forward, hands on hips. She ignored her use of the collective 'we'.

Luffy chuckled merrily, "Don't worry about it! I'll get plenty of sleep." he finished the rest of the apple chucking the core into the ocean with a plop, "I just got hungry is all and we don't have much food left."

The glare deepened, "That's because _someone_ has a stupidly big appetite and is constantly looking for midnight snacks." Nami's accusing tone went over Luffy's head with an audible whistle.

"Shishishishi! It'll be fine, we're going to go find a cook next, right?" The confidence and trust in Luffy's tone was astounding. Confidence that they would in fact be alright and trust that Nami would lead them straight to Baratie. It was disarming.

Nami huffed an exasperated sigh but it kind of sent her reeling mentally. Luffy knew Nami was a thief. That she betrayed people. Hell, she'd even betrayed him just minutes after they had met when she sold him to Buggy for a place on the clown's crew. Even Luffy wouldn't be stupid enough to think that her betraying him again wasn't an option. No one had ever had ever put that kind of trust in her before. Unnerving would be a good way to put it.

"Yes we are." Luffy grinned. Expectation met. He was just too easy to please, "But simply getting a cook won't be enough if we straight up run out of food. Baratie is still two days away."

She expected some kind of reaction from Luffy, like realization of the fact, or denial that it would happen but he didn't even flinch.

"Then we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen." He really was a simple man. A simple man of simple solutions. There was no two ways about it.

Nami signed, shoulders relaxing and hands dropping from her hips. She couldn't stay upset at him for long. She looked over at her temporary captain. Luffy stood with a laid back posture with an almost serene smile on his face. His usual red vest was unbuttoned - he probably couldn't be bothered to button it in the midst of wanting food - and the ever present straw hat on his head.

That brought up a curiosity about Luffy. Why did he want to become king of the pirates? It was the grandest of titles out there so Nami could see the appeal but as for actually trying to go through with it? Not a chance. Countless men and women both stronger and with endless resources have tried to claim the title only to fail miserably. What chance did a scrawny boy from the East Blue stand? Devil Fruit or no. It had been twenty years since Roger passed, at this point, who even knew if the One Piece was real.

"Hey, you alright?"

Luffy's voice jerked Nami out of her reverie. He was looking at her with concern.

"Huh?" was the best she could manage, "What do you mean?"

The captain tilted his head and folded his arms across his chest, "Well, you were looking at me for a while without saying anything. I thought you had a stroke or something."

Nami's jaw dropped at his assumption, "No! What on earth would make you say that?"

"Well, Gramps always said dealing with me would give someone as stroke someday." Luffy chuckled, "I think he was talking 'bout himself though."

That left Nami a little speechless. Who would even say that to a family member? Even as a joke. Sure Luffy was hard to deal with at times but that seemed to be a bit excessive.

"So what's up?" Luffy asked casually like he hadn't said anything major.

"Nothing, I was just thinking." Nami said, trying to brush it off.

"That's dangerous."

"For you maybe." Luffy laughed at her effortless retort. Nami couldn't help but smile as well. Getting one up on Luffy wasn't hard but it was satisfying.

Once the laughter died down they were met with a comfortable silence where they both turned to look out to the ocean ahead. For the first time all night the anxiety that had taken hold of Nami unwound leaving her feeling a peace for the longest time. Her every instinct was begging her to run before she got too deep. That she needed to throw the idiot captain overboard right away, hijack the ship and leave with all the money she'd gathered on this venture. But for the first time in forever, Nami couldn't bring herself to even entertain those thoughts. Even if it was just for tonight, she was able to just enjoy the peace and quiet.

And for once, it was with someone who, no matter how reluctant she was, no matter how tentative it was, nor how painful it was, Nami could call a _friend_.

.o0o.

_**Did you like it? Any problem? Would you like more?**_


	2. The 2nd Night

_**~The 2nd Night~**_

.o0o.

What a difference a week can make. Sometimes weeks roll by like sand on a beach and before you know it years have passed and nothing changes. You get into a rut of living out the same pattern over and over again. All in the name of a goal that never seems to get any closer. Then it all changes. One week and your world can be turned upside down. Everything you knew. Everything you thought you knew. Now lay in pieces at your feet.

For Nami, she could not imagine a better feeling.

A week ago she stood in this very spot on Merry's bow, leaning against the railing contemplating her inevitable betrayal of the people who would soon become her closest friends. She spoke with the man who would save her life. They stood and laughed together as friends, even if just for a moment. Then Nami betrayed him. She lead Luffy and his crew to Baratie to find a cook so they could continue his adventure. Having been reminded once more of the sword hanging over her, and her island's heads when she saw Arlong's bounty poster among Johnny and Yosaku's wanted poster collection, she steeled her resolve. As soon as everyone became distracted with Krieg, Nami made her move. She hijacked the Merry and set sail for Cocoyashi.

Really Nami had full faith that Luffy could beat Krieg. That was a given. She also knew he would come after her, at least to retrieve Merry and be on his way, or at most, to try and seek revenge on her for betraying him. That was also a given. After all, going by his reaction to Captain Kuro attacking his own men, betrayal was not something Luffy took kindly to. What Nami did not expect, however, was Luffy showing up, new cook in tow, and refusing to leave until Arlong's "empire" lay in rubble.

And Nami fought him every step of the way. Doing everything short of outright attacking the rubber man. She had put on her best 'Cold Bitch' persona to try and push him away, but Luffy didn't fall for it for even a second. Hell, from what the others on the crew said Luffy got pissed off at anyone who even suggested that she really was the person she tried to make herself out to be. Nojiko even tried to get them to go away. That maybe if they learned her story that they'd be satisfied and leave. But once again, Luffy showed no interest in any of it, and just walked off.

With a fond sigh Nami leaned on to the railing, like she had a week ago. The full moon shone even brighter than it had before. The ocean, splayed out before her, positively sparkled under its silvery rays as if filled with a renewed vigor. She couldn't help but smile at it. Everything seemed brighter to her now. Now that she was free. Not only free, but with the genuine opportunity to fulfill her dream of mapping the world. All thanks to that rubbery dumbass she now called 'Captain'.

Looking back on the events of the last week really put Luffy into a new light in Nami's eyes. He was more than he let on to be. Or maybe people read him wrong. Who knows? But either way he was an amazing man. In just the scant few days in which Luffy had known her, from meeting in Orange Town to her betrayal at Baratie, he'd judged her character well enough to know something was wrong. And cared enough to do something about it. Then when he arrived at Cocoyashi he showed no interest in anything other than getting her back. He didn't even want to know why Nami was doing any of it.

"Oh. You're awake too."

Nami turned to her captain. He stood at the far end of the deck, apparently having snuck out of the men's bedroom without so much as a peep. His straw hat planted firmly on his head and a dopey expression painted across his face.

"I am. So are you. Again." Nami smiled at Luffy as he approached. It felt great to be able to smile so freely.

Luffy stood beside her, Merry's head once again the only thing between them, "What you thinking 'bout this time?" he asked.

Nami blinked, "What do you mean this time?"

"Well last week you said you were up thinking 'bout stuff. So, maybe you're up thinking 'bout stuff this time." Luffy said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, I said I was up because of you're horrid snoring."

It was a blink and you miss it moment but Nami swore Luffy looked at her completely disbelieving a word she said. Then it was gone. He grinned,

"That so? My bad!"

Moments like that made Nami doubt Luffy's intelligence. At least to a degree. The man has clearly never had a day of formal education in his life. To be honest, he'd struggle to poor water out of a boot if the instructions where on the heel. Hell, Nami would be surprised if Luffy could even read the instruction! Actually, now that she thought about it…

"Hey Luffy, can you read?"

That seemed to catch him off guard, "Wait, what?"

"Can you read?" Nami fought to keep the smirk off her face. The man who not two days ago fought a literal monster, dropped a building on both himself and said monster and lived to tell the tale was gawping at her like a slapped fish. Priceless.

"W-why do you wanna know?" Luffy stammered, clearly trying to avoid the question. A moment of weakness.

"You can't, can you?" Nami's lip twitched upward.

"No, I can!" he claimed, waving his hands desperately.

"Then why are so defensive, huh?" Nami's eyes narrowed in mock suspicion.

"Uh, uhhhh." Luffy struggled to find an answer that clearly wasn't there.

"You know it _is _very important for the captain of a crew be able to read, you know?" She pressed on, smiling like the cat that caught the canary.

"Bu-but I-I" Her captain began sweating. His eyes darting left and right looking for any kind of writing to prove his literacy, but to no avail.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Nami couldn't hold it in any longer. It was just too funny!

Luffy blinked, now completely lost as to what was happening. One minute he was being grilled about being able to read by his navigator, the next, said navigator is holding her stomach laughing like she'd just been told the funniest joke.

It took a minute for Nami to curb her laughing fit. But finally she stood up straight and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. It had been so long since she'd laughed like that. It was like a breath of fresh air. Luffy was not nearly as amused as she was. He stood, arms folded, pouting with his cheeks puffed. It was kind of adorable.

"It wasn't that funny." he muttered.

Nami took a deep, cleansing breath to steady herself, still grinning, "I know, I know. I just couldn't help myself." she said, "You're just too easy to tease."

Luffy turned his head away, pouting even harder, "I am not, you're just being mean."

The sheer childishness of his statement almost sent Nami back into another fit of giggles. How this man was a pirate captain worth 30 million, she'd never know.

"Just so you know, I can, in fact, read." Luffy said, still not looking at her.

Nami sat back on the railing, "Oh I believed you."

Luffy's pout dropped immediately as his head snapped back to look at her with an almost audible '_boing'_, "Wait. You did?"

"Not immediately."

Almost as fast the the pout dropped was it back again. The speed at which Luffy could change his expression was straight up comical. Truly fitting for a man with a rubber face.

After a few moments they both relaxed and fell into a companionable silence. What a difference indeed. A week ago Nami was contemplating her betrayal of the man beside her. Now, she'd happily risk her life for him. Before when they talked, she was anxious for the future, the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Now she was riding high on life. She couldn't help but think back to her question from before as well.

"Hey Luffy."

"Hm?"

"Why do you want to be King of the Pirates."

Luffy looked at her, eyebrow raised, "To be free."

Nami cocked her head to the side. A reasonable, if predictable answer. But not the one she was looking for.

"I guessed that. But what made you want to go for it. There are plenty of other ways to go about being free." she said, "Most would say simply being a pirate is enough."

Luffy seemed to mull it over in his head for a second, "That's just it. I don't want 'enough', I want want all of it. I want to laugh the loudest. Eat the most. Fight the hardest. And for no reason because I can. That's how free I wanna be."

He spoke softly, almost reverential at the idea of his dream laid out before him but the underlying steel in his tone spoke to how determined he was to make it happen. It left Nami almost speechless. She was absolutely convinced he could do it. And she'd be the one to guide him to it.

Luffy took off his straw hat and smiled at it. He held it like it was made of spun glass. In the moonlight Nami could see where she stitched up the damage dealt to it at the hands of Buggy.

"Also," Luffy said, "I made a promise. That I would become a great pirate and return this hat to Shanks."

He'd mentioned Shanks before. Nami just assumed he was some kind of father figure to Luffy, like how Bellemere was to her. Clearly, it wasn't so straight forward.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Nope! Not a clue." All of a sudden the somber atmosphere that had settled around them dissipated, "But that's part of the fun right? The adventure!"

Luffy seemed reinvigorated, his sense of adventure sparking up out of nowhere. Now he looked ready to row the Merry himself to the nearest island just to try and satiate it. It nearly gave Nami whiplash.

The rubber captain now relocated himself to his favourite seat atop Merry's head, swaying eagerly side to side, willing an island to appear over the horizon. The thing Luffy probably didn't take into account, Nami realised, was the the ship was anchored so everyone could sleep. A point made slightly frustrating considering the fact Luffy was the one who dropped the damned thing. On her orders no less. His vigor was both contagious and exhausting.

This conversation, Nami felt, gave her a better understanding of how Luffy ticked. Sure on the surface, he was a reckless moron, with no sense of self preservation. And he was. No doubt about that. But there was a lot more going on under the surface than most believed. Zoro must have known, being both First Mate and the longest serving on the crew. Sanji must've caught a glimpse of it, given that last she saw of him at baratie he was dead set on not becoming a "shitty pirate". And if Usopp hadn't seen it, he would soon enough, of that much Nami was sure. And now she had seen it for herself.

She didn't know what possessed her to do it. To have the sheer balls to even attempt it. Maybe it was the new lease of life that had been gifted to her with Arlong's defeat. Maybe it was the relaxed atmosphere that now pervaded the air around them. Or maybe it was that Luffy had given it to her before. Who knows…

Nami reached up to Luffy's head and plucked the straw hat off of it, placing it on her own. The man himself, spun around looking ready to swing a punch. He stopped when Nami smiled up at him, her hand holding the precious hat firmly in place. She winked.

"Then we're just gonna have to make sure it's the best damn adventure ever, huh?"

.o0o.

_**How was it?**_

_**(Note: I made an edit to the previous chapter once I realised I made a mistake with the events in cannon. It's fixed. Also, I hope Nami and Luffy seem too out of character. I'm trying to keep their interaction within the realm of possibility. If Nami seems too… chipper? And too praising of Luffy, my logic is that she's just been freed from her oppressor of eight years. She's going to be a bit praising of the man who is responsible for that.)**_


	3. The 3rd Night

_**~ The 3rd Night~**_

.o0o.

Luffy was no stranger to late nights. He never was one to sleep a lot anyway. Maybe when he was a kid, but it was quickly stamped out of him when he moved to go live with Dadan and the others. Either from staying up late with the bandits or from getting up early to go get food. There never was much time for sleep. Now it was just a habit he couldn't shake. Not that he wanted to.

So here he stood on Merry's deck in the dead of night. Everyone had gone to sleep a couple hours ago, leaving him in on the deck in silence. Silence was boring. Usually. Luffy never liked it. The loneliest parts of his life where in silence. Memories of an empty house flashed through his mind's eye. Dust drifted through the air like flies. Grandpa wasn't around again. The Party Bar was closed on Sunday's, so no playing with Makino. The kids of the town wanted nothing to do with him, calling him 'weird' and a 'monster'. Luffy didn't like them anyways. All he could do was sit on his bed and stew on his lonesome. Toys lay strewn about the floor of his bedroom. Marine white and blue were coloured grey in the faint light that shone through the curtains. It was oppressing. He couldn't take it. So lonely.

Luffy shook his head. Desperately chasing away the images that clouded his mind. He wasn't alone anymore. Not for a long time. Since he met Shanks, Ace, Sabo, and everyone else. Even now, out here on Merry's empty deck, in complete silence. He wasn't alone. His crew, his _amazing _crew, were laying in bed, sleeping not far away. Nights like these weren't too bad any more. Nami even gave him company a couple times. It was really nice. They'd talk about stuff and she'd ask loads of questions. Questions she should've known the answer to. Nami was an idiot sometimes. Not that he minded. She also made fun of him both times they were out here. Nami was also really mean, too. Still though. It was nice of her to keep him company on nights like these. Even if she was only out because she couldn't sleep, or was thinking about stuff.

Thinking about his crew as a whole, Luffy still had to pinch himself sometimes. He had his very own crew! He was now living his childhood dream. Going on not just _a _grand adventure, but _the_ Grand Adventure. The mere thought of it was enough to rile him up! And all in all, Luffy was pretty proud of his picks for his crew. All of them were ambitious, an absolute must, capable, another must, and most of all, they believed in him as much as he did them. They were his friends.

Luffy couldn't help but grin as he imagined them all standing beside him. Zoro, his First Mate and swords man. His dream was to be the greatest swordsman in the world. Neither he, nor Luffy would accept anything less. Nami, his Navigator and acting Second Mate. Though with the way she barked orders, you'd think she was Captain! She wanted to draw a map of the world. An idea Luffy was totally behind as it was more adventures for him. Usopp, was a Sniper and acting shipwright. His goal was less humble than the others but it was noble and honest, and having met his father, Usopp would achieve it without a doubt. And finally was Sanji, the cook and martial artist. He wanted to find All Blue, the greatest sea in the world, were all others met. The thought of it was a wonder to Luffy, and the adventure to go find it would be to die for!

The sound of soft footsteps altered Luffy to someone approaching him from behind. He looked over his shoulder. It was Nami. She looked fresh out of bed. Her hair, usually so neat and looked after, was ruffled and she was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It was kind of cute.

"Oh, you're up too." it was becoming his normal greeting for her now.

Nami responded with a wide yawn.

"You don't look so good."

That earned him a solid glare. Luffy just laughed. It was hard to be intimidated by her when she looked like she literally dropped out of the wrong side of the bed. The current rumpled state of her light blue pajamas certainly sold it.

"Shuddup" she mumbled.

Nami pulled up beside him and plopped ungracefully on to the deck. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. Honestly she looked like she was about to fall back asleep at any second. Luffy sat down cross legged beside her.

"I got up to get some water when I saw you out here." she mumbled, "You looked lonely."

"Really?"

His navigator hummed, "Yup, you were just standing here, staring off in the distance. It's not like you."

"I guess so." Luffy agreed, "But I wasn't lonely, I have you guys!"

"Ah, so I shouldn't have bothered then?" Nami didn't sound particularly put out. She might have been teasing him.

"No, but I'm glad you did!" Luffy chuckled. He really was, "I like talking to you like this."

Nami looked at him surprised, "Tha' so?"

Luffy nodded merrily, "It's nice. I normally just walk round the ship till I get tired. Sometimes Usopp and Zoro keep me company before they need to go to bed." he explained, "So, having you to talk to really great."

Again, Nami hummed, her voice tranquil like the night sky. Though that may have just been her being tired. Either or was fine. This was the third night, they'd talked like this. Luffy kind of hoped it would continue. While he was never lonely anymore, having someone with him so late at night was something he'd never say no to. It was selfish, but that had never stopped him before.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. The gentle rocking of the ship was peaceful and the soft blow of the sea breeze was pleasant, if a bit on the cold side. The sky was overcast tonight, blocking out the majority of the moon's light. In fact, Luffy could only just make out where the moon was through the cloud. A strange thing happened. It wasn't massive, like an epiphany or something, but it was a rare thing nonetheless. The wires Luffy's brain sparked to life for a mere second and _thought_ occurred.

He looked across the deck, back towards where Nami had come from. He could barely see the main cabin of Merry. Its silhouette was faint and there were no lights on inside. So, applying the usually useless skill of thinking, Luffy was able to reason out something.

"Hey Nami?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you come out here?"

"I told you. I went to get some water, saw your sorry ass and thought I'd join you for a bit." her voice was muffled slightly by her knees.

"I get that. But, how'd you know I was out here?"

"What d'you mean? You were standing in the middle of the deck. Kinda hard to miss."

"But I can barely see the cabin from here. Shouldn't it have been hard for you to see me?"

That brought a small, tinkling laugh from Nami, "Look at you, using your head for once." she teased, "Not gonna get all intelligent on me now, are you?"

Luffy stuck his lower lip out in a pout. This is why he never did any thinking. He wasn't any good at it and he always got shit for it when he did it.

"No, I was just wondering, is all."

"Do you want me to admit that I was looking for you or…?" she trailed off. Nami had shifted her head so that her cheek rested on her knees. She looked at him with half lidded eyes and a slight smile. It made something in the pit of Luffy's stomach twist. He looked away pouting even harder,

"Are you gonna tell me or not?"

Another soft laugh, "I was actually looking for water. If that's what you mean." Luffy couldn't help but deflate a little, "But, I did look out the window to see if I could spot you. 'Cause you always seem to be up."

Luffy nodded. That was fair, "But how did you seem me? It's so dark."

Nami sighed with a fond shake of the head, "I had the light on, you dolt. You were so into your own world you didn't notice. It went out like, five minutes ago."

"Oh." That made more sense, "So, what you're saying is, you can't see in the dark?"

There was a pause. They looked at each other, Luffy looking completely earnest in his question, and Nami looking back at him in complete disbelief. It carried on for a few more moments. And couple more moments…

Was she having a stroke? Luffy mentally added 'Doctor' to his list of future crew mates.

"Really!? That's what you were thinking about!?" Nami whisper yelled.

She smacked him over the back of the head, the mark instantly swelling to comical proportions. Luffy grasping at it, hissing in pain. How was it that she could hurt him? He was made of rubber!

"Ow! I'm sorry, I couldn't figure it out!" This is why Luffy never did any thinking.

Nami put her chin back on her knees. It was her turn to pout now, it seemed. What did she expect him to say? He was just curious is all. She was like that for a few minutes. So long it was kind of worrying Luffy.

"Are you upset?" Not the best start, going by the few times he had to ask Makino and Dadan that question, but it was all he could come up with.

"No. You're just an idiot." Oh. Well that went better than expect. That was good.

They lulled back into silence after that. Luffy didn't mind it. Sure, silence was no longer something he equated to loneliness anymore, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. Luffy was a creature of pleasure. If it wasn't fun, why bother? So silence was never something he indulged in. Yet, these last few nights, he was okay with it. It was strange. Luffy was pretty sure it was all to do with Nami. It wasn't that he enjoyed her company anymore than the other members of the crew. Definitely not! But, he couldn't help but think he wouldn't be able to sit so peacefully were it with Zoro or Usopp. It was just different.

Well now that he thought about it, - thinking it seemed, to a certain extent it seemed, was unavoidable - a lot of things to do with Nami was different. She was a girl. She tried to leave the crew. Hopefully she was the only one stupid enough to try that. And she was the only one Luffy trusted with his hat. Probably because he knew that if something happened to it, Nami would be able to fix it. That seemed reasonable.

Luffy felt something shiver on his shoulder. It was Nami. She had fallen asleep at some point and had leaned up against him for support. Her arms were still around her legs but grip was loosening by the second. It wasn't helped by her shivering. It was kind of cold out, Luffy couldn't feel it as much due to having a rubber body. Something to do with insulin or whatever it was called.

Carefully, Luffy picked her up. One arm under her knees and the other across her back. Ever so slowly Luffy worked his way back inside. He tried turning the lights on with his cheek but the power was gone. That would make things really tricky. With tentative steps and muscle memory, Luffy worked his way through the kitchen, into storage then finally down the steps into Nami's bedroom. Thankfully her hammock was near the steps, so he found it quickly. Luffy put Nami on to the hammock as gently as he could, and pulled as much of the blanket out from underneath her as he dared and threw it over her. It was probably time for bed for him as well.

As Luffy made his way back to the men's room he couldn't help but think; maybe silence wasn't so bad after all.

.o0o.

_**~Forgive them. Nami was sleepy and Luffy is a moron.~**_


	4. The 4th Night

_**~The 4th Night~**_

.o0o.

"Hahaha! Luffy you're so bad at this!"

"Shut it, Usopp! It's really complicated."

"Luffy, We're playing Gin Rummy. I _literally_ cannot think of an easier game that isn't for kids."

"Well, if you're so smart you explain it!"

"I have. Three times."

"Leave it, moss head, this is clearly over his head."

"As much as it physically pains me to admit, you might be right."

"Hey, you guys are being mean!"

"We'll stop making fun of you when you stop being such a shitty dumbass."

"Not gonna happen."

Nami stood in the doorway between storage and the meeting room watching the rest of the crew mock their captain for his sheer ineptitude with card games. Zoro and Sanji sat with arms folded and all cards on the table. Usopp had just placed his last set down. Luffy, on the other hand, it wouldn't be incorrect to say he was holding half of the deck of cards. It was mind boggling how much Luffy struggled with card games of all things.

Still it was nice to see them all relaxed and happy together. Nami only wished she could be like that.

The day they had all been through was… immense to say the least. Meeting a marine with a devil fruit that rendered invulnerable to all forms of harm on its own was almost too much for them. Add on the reemergence of Buggy. It was almost too much in general. Almost. Though, at the end of the day they had made it out with their lives. Even though it seemed to take a moment of divine providence.

'Lucky' was a better word for it, Nami thought. In the month and a bit that she had known her captain, he'd never been defeated. Arlong had been Luffy's biggest threat by half and even then, given the former's inherent advantage in both size and strength, the fact Luffy could even _match_ him was a testament to the rubber man's strength. Yet, in Loguetown, he'd been beaten. Twice, in quick succession. So casually by Smoker and so significantly by Buggy. He had nearly died. If Luffy's luck wasn't so godly, their adventure would have died in the cradle.

"Oh, you're up too."

The familiar greeting pulled Nami from her thoughts. Apparently she'd been standing around long enough for the others to take notice of her.

"I am." she replied, "So are you."

Luffy just grinned. Honestly, not even a near death experience could shake this man.

"Not that I'm not ecstatic to see you, Nami dearest, but why are you up?" Sanji asked. His crush for her was as strong as ever. Honestly? It was kind of sweet. Though, it would mean more if he didn't act like that around _every _girl he met. Either way, Nami would milk it for all it was worth.

"Yeah, didn't you hit the hay like, two hours ago?" Usopp asked as he was packing away the deck of cards.

She did, but she couldn't sleep and was hoping talk to Luffy some. Not that she'd tell them that.

"I did. And while I'm all for teaching Luffy new games then mocking him for being bad at them," Luffy huffed, put out, "Does it really have to be so loud?"

Zoro tutted audibly, "I didn't think a witch like you needed sleep."

Nami's brow twitched.

"HEY! DON'T YOU DARE CALL NAMI DEAREST A WITCH, SHIT HEAD!" A fire had lit itself in Sanji's eyes. He had shot from his seat sending his chair crashing into the opposite wall.

They were really going to doing this.

"Yeah? Got a problem with that Crap Cook!?" Zoro stood to face him, Yubashiri half drawn.

Again.

Their foreheads pressed together, neither budging an inch. Sparks flew between them. Usopp was laughing nervously and not so subtly backing off. Luffy seemed to find it all funny.

"OI! KNOCK IT OFF!"

A pair of fists crashed into the two idiot's skulls knocking clean through the air, cracking the far wall of the room. Nami stood, fist smoking.

"I'm not in the mood for your shit right now!" she yelled, "So can you knuckleheads cool it for one night!"

"Whoa, Nami." Usopp breathed, "You okay?"

"Of course not!" she snapped. Usopp flinched looking genuinely scared.

Nami caught herself on. She hadn't realised it but her heart was racing a mile a minute and she was panting as if she'd run a lap of the Red Line. She knew she was stressed, but this was far more than she thought. The day gone by combined with the day they would have tomorrow was getting to her. Zoro and Sanji fighting just seemed to push her over the edge.

Pausing for a moment, Nami took a deep breath. Counted to five. Then breathed out. Counted to five again. Feeling slightly better, she looked at Usopp,

"I'm sorry Usopp, you didn't deserve that." She said, bowing her head to the sniper, "I'm just feeling a little wound up.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's fine!" Usopp placated, "I'd be wound up too if I had to deal with them too."

If that's what he thought Nami wasn't going to correct him. He wasn't completely wrong to be fair.

Zoro picked himself off the ground with a grunt. He gathered up his sword that had been thrown about when Nami hit him,

"Well, I think that might be the signal for us to go to bed." he said, cracking his neck with an audible pop.

"Yeah, we got a big day tomorrow." Usopp agreed, "We're finally hitting the Grand Line!"

He was probably the most enthusiastic one in the room. Zoro and Sanji just nodded with confident smirks. Nami clutched her forehead. Luffy, who had been watching the whole ordeal unfold with a mixture of amusement and concern just grinned that dopey grin of his but also said nothing.

One by one Usopp, Sanji and Zoro bid Nami goodnight, though not before Sanji apologised so profusely he looked about ready to get on his knees to beg forgiveness. Nami ushered him away with a smile and waved it off.

Soon, Luffy and Nami were the only ones left in the Lounge. Nami all but collapsed into a seat at the head of the table. She rested her head on her folded arms with a weary sigh. Luffy just watched her with a curiously neutral expression.

"You're stressed." It wasn't a question.

"What gave it away?" Nami bit out, "My _charming_ interaction with our beloved crewmates?"

"It's not cause of Sanji and Zoro, is it?" Always to the point with Luffy.

There was a pause.

"No. Not entirely." Nami sat up and looked her captain.

He was staring back at her. His expression could be mistaken as blank or even aloof, but the slight crease in his brow, and down turn of his mouth betrayed his concern.

Without looking, Luffy leaned back in his chair and grabbed a bottle of alcohol from the drinks rack behind him. Rum, most likely.

"Will this help?" He set the bottle on the table, offering it to her.

Nami couldn't help but smile. Luffy was earnest in his desire to help, if nothing else.

"You tryna liquor me up, captain?" she teased.

Luffy shook his head, "Nope. Just this stuff normally helps people relax."

Either the implication went completely over his head, or he understood it entirely. Nami couldn't tell which.

"Thanks but I'll pass." she said, waving it away, "I don't want to be hungover tomorrow."

"That's fair enough, I guess." Luffy shrugged, putting the bottle back on the rack, "So, what's on your mind?"

Nami averted her gaze and looked at her hands. She'd steepled her fingers together in an effort to avoid fidgeting.

"It's just like Usopp said; it's a big day tomorrow." She said, her voice barely above a whisper, "We're going to the Grand Line."

"It's going to be great!" Luffy enthusiasm began seeping through, "It's the first step for all our dreams!"

"It really is." Nami sighed, not sounding nearly as eager, "But in order to get there we need to cross Reverse Mountain."

Her captain cocked his head to the side, "What's that?"

Nami's stress spiked, "You don't even know how to get into the Grand Line, do you?"

"Shishishi, nope!" Luffy laughed casually, "But that's why I have you isn't it?"

A vein pulsed in Nami's brow. He wasn't wrong, but would it kill him to have some kind of foreknowledge or planning?

"That's not the point!" She whisper yelled, being wary of the others, having just gone to bed, "Stuff like this is important! You should, at least, know of this!"

"Alright then," Luffy looked her dead in the eyes, his previous merriment subsided, "Tell me about it."

The sudden change in her captain's demeanor threw Nami for a loop. She never could predict when he would take things seriously. Well, anything that wasn't a fight that is. Maybe he recognised that this was, in fact a pretty big deal? Then again, it was Luffy. So maybe not.

"It's not simple."

"Try me."

Maybe he was taking this seriously? Nami pinched her the bridge of her nose. It was too late in the day for this shit.

"Reverse Mountain is one of the two know entrances to the Grand Line. The other being the Calm Belt." Luffy looked focused, so Nami pressed on,

"It's a completely unique phenomena in that it has four rivers that flow up its side, meet at the top, and then flow back down into the Grand Line. It's the only known place in the world that this occurs. Though calling them rivers is a bit of a misnomer. See, they are more like immensely strong ocean currents that have forced their way up the mountain due to the sheer difference in climate temperature between it and the four blues. So in order to access the Grand Line we need to go up the East Blue current. So, not only will we have to thread the need to the incredibly narrow entrance, but turn the ship mid air, then land it in the only marginally wider Grand Line current. All while making sure the Merry doesn't crash in the walls of the Red Line, killing us all."

Nami stopped for breath, having gone through everything she thought relevant to the mountain. Luffy, to his credit was still focused, but the strain it was putting on him to remain so was clearly evident. His face was flushed pink. Blood clearly being redirected to his brain to help with processing the information dumped on him. Maybe she went a little overboard, Nami thought as she watched a vein pulse in Luffy's temple.

It took a couple minutes but the regular colour returned to Luffy's face. He nodded confidently and smacked his fist into his palm,

"So it's a mystery mountain." He stated.

"No, you idiot!" Nami hissed, smacking him around the back of the head.

Luffy just laughed casually, shrugging the blow off, "I don't see what the big deal is." he said, "We'll make it through just fine. You're a brilliant navigator."

Once more is sheer unwavering confidence in her and her abilities was something that caught Nami unawares. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Thank you Luffy, that means a lot." It really did. She had more than enough confidence in her own abilities, but to hear it come from someone like Luffy really helped, "And I know I'm a great navigator but," Nami hesitated for a moment, considering her words, "This is something beyond anything I've done before. The slightest miscalculation or poor call could be the end of us."

Luffy's smile softened, "You shouldn't worry too much, just focus on getting the job done. We're all with you. Every step of the way." he laughed merrily, "Beside, I'm pretty tough. I'd make a decent bumped for Merry!"

No small amount of relief flushed through Nami. He was right. Maybe if she just let go of what happened today, forget it ever happened, like he seemed to have, and focus on getting up the mountain, she might just do it.

Nami grinned back at him, "Thank you, Luffy. That's helped a lot."

"Shishishi, no problem!"

With a firm pat to her cheeks Nami stood up, ready to get herself back off to bed, and then prepare for what was to come. Her hand grasped the door knob to the storage room, when Luffy spoke again,

"That wasn't the only thing, was it?"

Nami froze in place.

"What do you mean?" she couldn't make herself look at him.

"I didn't choose you to join my crew if something like a little self doubt could get to you like it did. You're better than that." he said, his tone plain and to the point, "What was _really _keeping you up, Nami?"

"It's nothing, Luffy, I promise." she whispered, staring straight at the door ahead. Her knuckles were white against the door knob, "I'll see you in the morning."

She just needed to get to bed and forget it.

"Nami. Please."

The amount of concern in his voice made Nami's heart skip a beat. Slowly she turned to look at him. Luffy had stood up and now stood behind her, just a few feet back. His shoulder back straight, fists clenched by his side and his brow creased. His entire frame was wracked with worry. Nami let go and turned to face him.

"You almost died today. Twice."

Luffy nodded.

"And yet here you are acting like nothing happened."

Luffy nodded again.

Frustration built up at the base of Nami's throat. It burned like fire. She wanted nothing more than to yell at her captain, but restrained herself as best she could.

"How…" she choked out.

Luffy shrugged, "'Cause I didn't."

He didn't get it. He didn't realize what his death would mean.

"You bastard."

"What?"

"YOU BASTARD!"

Her captain stumbled back several steps, shocked over her sudden outburst. Honestly, she was too, a little. But then again, she'd been holding this all day, with no intent of ever letting it out. So, she didn't really care.

"You don't even realize would have happened if you had died." Tears were welling up in her eyes. Nami wiped then away as quickly as they formed. She would not cry over this.

"If you died, what would have happened to us!? To Usopp, to Zoro, to Sanji! To me!" she was approaching full volume without a care. The others had probably been woken by now.

Luffy looked completely dumbstruck, "I-I, you…" he swallowed, "You'd have worked something out."

Nami bit out a sarcastic laugh, "Yeah, we would. We'd have all gone home." she marched a couple steps to him, "If you died our dreams would be in tatters."

At this Luffy's legs seemed to give out and he collapsed on his ass. Nami continued unabated,

"Even _if_ we'd found it within ourselves to carry on to the Grand Line, without our strongest fighter and most driven member, we'd be killed almost immediately. By some honey pot trap or a bigger fish."

Nami loomed over her captain, a dark cloud swirling around her, "You got reckless, Luffy. Arrogant even. Buggy bested you. He had you in shackles! _Buggy_ did that. If that storm hadn't hit, you'd have lost your head. And with Smoker. You spent so long going round feeling invincible that-"

"Hey! I didn't-" Luffy tried to butt in.

"-When you finally met someone who was, you got caught." Nami rolled on, "You need to be more aware! In the Grand Line, people like Smoker will be a dime-a-dozen. We won't survive a week."

Luffy stared up at her, biting his lip trying to look defiant. His effort was weak at best.

The sight of her captain below her was so endearing to her, Nami forced back a smile, but as quickly as her anger came it dissipated. The realization struck her square in the head. She'd almost lost her captain today. She's almost lost her _friend_. When she swore she'd never lose another person again. This wasn't like with Arlong. Luffy fought hard, and came out victorious. Today, he'd been defeated utterly. Nami's knees gave out and she dropped to the ground in front of Luffy. He looked back at her, looking lost for words. Tears were welling up in her eyes again.

"Luffy, you almost died today. We almost lost you." she held back the sob that threatened to wreck through her, "As must as you depend on us, we depend on you, Luffy. You're the reason we're all here."

"Y-you're right." Luffy said, his voice quiet, "I'm sorry."

They looked up at the same time and their gazes met. Luffy offered a gentle smile,

"I'll do better, I promise." he said, "Forgive me?"

Nami halfheartedly slugged his shoulder, "Idiot, of course I do"

With that Luffy offered out his arms and pulled Nami into a hug. Quietly, she let the tears fall. They both pretended not to hear the door to the deck click gently shut.

They stayed like that for a while before pulling back. Nami, dried her eyes on a nearby tea towel.

"Sorry, I got your vest wet." honestly, she felt kind of embarrassed for having unloading onto him like that.

Luffy looked at the two large wet marks on his shoulder and chuckled, "It's no problem, I got a few of these and it's not like I'm anywhere for people to see."

Nami laughed with him, "If you're sure." she said, "Though, I think we best get some sleep now."

"Yeah, probably should." Luffy grinned brightly at her, "We got a big day tomorrow!"

"Haha, yeah, we do!"

Luffy dropped his smile for a second, "Thanks for that Nami. I think - I think I needed to hear that."

Nami blinked in surprise, not so much at the admission but the fact he thanked her for it, "Any time captain." she replied, jovially.

They went to the door at opposite ends of the Lounge, intent on their respective bedrooms. Nami just cracked the door open when a thought struck her,

"Hey, Luffy?"

"Hm?"

They looked back at each other, the distance seeming like nothing at all.

"Promise me something, yeah?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Don't die."

The request hung in the air for a few moments. Nami waited with baited breath. Luffy just grinned.

"I promise."

"Thank you."

.o0o.

_**Somethings you just have to confront**_

_**(Note: There will be small canon divergences from time to time, like sharing information early and the like. Nothing awfully big. Also, chapters will drop to about one a week as I want to try and write longer, better chapters. I hope you understand.)**_

_Edited 31/3/19: Mostly grammar and missing words. I apologise for releasing this chapter in such a sorry state. _


	5. The 5th Night

_**~The 5th Night~**_

.o0o.

Storms, Luffy decided, were super cool. Though, that was under the condition that you weren't in the middle of the thing. He sat on Merry's newly repaired head watching the dark clouds swirl over the horizon. Lightning flashed, bright and powerful, followed closely by the deep rumble of thunder. Luffy had made a game of counting the seconds between the two. Something about the gap between thunder and lightning having to do with how far away it was, or at least that's what Ace told him. He might have been joking...

Lightning flashed. A pause.

"...Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen…"

_*RUUUMBLE*_

Luffy whistled, "Wow! New record!"

It helped that it was at night too. It made the storm easier to hear and see, what with it being so dark and quiet.

The Grand Line had already been everything Luffy hoped it would be. The storms, the icebergs and especially the _giant whale_. He even got to pick a fight with it! Everything had been so much fun!

The trip up Reverse Mountain had been difficult like Nami predicted, but not impossible. His navigator had expertly guided the Merry up the side of the mountain, then back down again. Though, she wasn't kidding when she called the river narrow. You couldn't even stick your arm out of the boat without it getting torn off. How Krieg even attempted to get his galleon up the mountain was a mystery.

Luffy had to deploy himself as a bumper a couple of time to stop Merry from crashing into the crags at the side of the mountain. Boy, did it hurt. Looked like there was an upper limit to how much blunt trauma he could take, but considering it took being shoved been a literal continent and a boat being pushed with the force of an ocean current, Luffy wasn't too worried.

Thinking of Nami, it seemed their talk from last night had been beneficial. She was concerned and nervous for sure, being on the other side of it, Luffy couldn't blame her, but she faced the day completely focused on the task at hand and got them through safely. She was super cool like that!

Lightning flashed.

"...Ten, eleven, twelve…"

_*RUUUMBLE*_

"BOO!" Someone yelled from far too close behind him.

"AHHHHHH!"

Luffy leapt out out oh his skin in fright. In trying to jump to his feet to meet the person who had snuck up on him, he missed judged his footing on Merry's head and began to fall.

Luckily, he managed grabbed on to the figure head with his arms, but the force of which he fell slung him down towards the ocean below. In a desperate attempt to avoid an unexpected salt water bath Luffy lifted his legs up as high as he could. Only for his rear to be dunked firmly into the water.

"AHH! SO COLD!" he yelled, now begging for his arms to sling him back up to the ship.

The rubber man got his wish and was pulled back up. He smacked into Merry's head and immediately wrapped his legs around her neck, now clinging on for dear life.

Who the hell snuck up on him like that! It was such an asshole thing to do! He looked to the deck only to be greeted by a ginger woman, bent over clutching at her stomach, laughing hysterically. Of course it was Nami.

"Oh. You're awake too."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! I-I am! HAHAHAHA! So ar-are y-you-u-u!" She could barely form words with how much she was laughing.

With that out of the way,

"NAMI! WHAT THE HELL!?" Luffy yelled, incensed, but it only served to make Nami laugh harder, "I NEARLY FELL INTO THE OCEAN! I COULD HAVE DIED! WEREN'T YOU THE ONE LECTURING ME ABOUT NOT DYING!?"

"Oh, calm down, you big baby." Nami said, pulling back to laughter to mere giggle, "You're fine. Besides, the ocean is plenty calm tonight, I could have easily pulled you out by myself."

"That's not the point!" Luffy shouted back, not having it.

Nami tutted playfully, a cheshire grin spread across her face, "Had I known sneaking up on you would have turned you into a wimp, I'd have not bothered." she teased.

His navigator held out her hand, offering to help pull him back on board from his precarious position. He took it gladly, wanting something solid underneath him again. A curious thing Luffy couldn't help but note was how calloused her hand was. He was sure he'd held it before at some point but, he was only noticing it now for some reason. Weird. Well, it's not like it mattered.

With Nami's help Luffy climbed back aboard the ship and plopped his, now soaking, backside on the deck. Nami stood over him, grinning like the cat that caught the canary.

"Enjoy your swim?" she teased.

Luffy pulled a sour face, "Jerk."

"Oh come on, Luffy, you have to admit it was at least kind of funny." Nami said, getting down on her haunches to get on the same level as Luffy, "I mean, you yelped! I've never heard you yelp before." The memory sent her into another fit of giggles.

Luffy soften a bit at the sight on her, hand over mouth, laughing merrily. It was nice to see, even if it was at his expense, "Only 'cause you've never snuck up on me before." he said, still sounding a bit put out.

Nami gave him a sly smirk, "Then I'll just have to do it more often then, won't I?"

A challenge.

"Nope!" Luffy declared, "You caught me off guard before, but I won't let it happen again."

"If you say so…"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, if you're so confident you can try." she said with a shrug, smiling patronisingly.

"Of course I will!" He meant it too. Nami only got him because he was so focused on the storm, "I'm gonna be more aware from now on!"

His navigator patted him on the cheek, "Sure you will."

"Hey it's not like you'll actually be able to sneak up on me to begin with!" Luffy said, becoming indignant.

Nami just laughed, "Luffy, you do remember I am a thief, right? And not just any thief but, one of, if not the, best in East Blue. Sneaking is what I'm good at."

Luffy had actually forgotten. He'd been so wrapped up in everything else, and the fact that Nami was his navigator first and foremost her other occupation had completely slipped his mind. That was kind of surprising because that was part of why Luffy thought Nami was so cool to begin with.

"Oh yeah." Luffy said, "I forgot."

"Of course you did." Nami said with a sigh.

"Doesn't mean you're gonna do it." he muttered.

"Okay then. Hows about we make a deal?" Nami said, holding out her hand, the tips of her pointer finger and thumb pressed together. A sign she was feeling greedy. He wasn't sure why, but it made Luffy gulp. Still, he was never one to back down from a challenge.

"Yeah, what you got in mind?"

Nami's grin became ominous, "One week. I have one week to see if I can scare three times, like I did just there."

"Okay. Easy enough. What's the prizes?" With every word he that came out of his mouth, Luffy couldn't help but feel he was digging his own grave.

"Well, in the unlikely event that I lose, I'll double your budget for food for a week." Nami offered.

Luffy could feel his stomach rumble at the thought of extra food. It took a significant amount of willpower to not bite her hand off then and there.

"And if you win?" He was almost hesitant to ask.

"I get to wear your hat for a day." she said. Nami's tone was confident, firm and expectant.

There was a moment of hesitation, as Luffy considered it. He had every reason not to. Hell, even just the principle of the matter. But most of it boiled down to he didn't trust her. Which couldn't be further from the truth.

"Okay."

"Wait, what?" Nami looked gobsmacked, like Sanji had just come out and french kissed Zoro.

"We have a deal." Luffy said.

"Just like that?" Nami sputtered.

He just nodded at her with a wide smile, "Yeah! It's not like I haven't let you wear it before. I trust you." he laughed, "Besides, it's not like you're gonna win. I won't allow it!"

Nami swallowed, a bead of sweat formed down the side of her face. Was she only joking about the wager?

"What?" Luffy asked, "Did you not mean it?"

She shook her head furiously, "No, no, I just didn't expect you to say yes, is all." she laughed nervously, "My other option was to have you wear a sandwich board that said 'I'm a huge coward.' for a day or something."

Luffy pulled a face, "I think I'd prefer you wearing my hat."

"Honestly, I thought you'd prefer the sandwich board." Nami said.

"Nah, I'm good."

Luffy stuck out his hand and Nami took it. With a firm the sealed the deal.

"So one week to scare me three time, yeah?"

"Yup, starting tomorrow, then I get your hat for a whole day."

"Like hell you will!"

"We'll see about that."

They stared at each other, daring the other to blink first. Neither one willing to give in. This was a matter of pride! Luffy wouldn't lose the challenge, or this!

_***RUUUUMBLE***_

"AHHHHH!"

They both screamed, jumping to their feat trying to get away from the colossal roll of thunder. There was a pause. Both of them looked like they had just had the life scared out of them. Luffy slowly turned to look at Nami, who in turn had turned to look at him. They wore the same startled expression.

"Doesn't count?" he asked.

"Doesn't count." she confirmed.

No need to worry then. They both took a seat on the deck, now taking in the view of the storm that Luffy had been appreciating before Nami so rudely interrupted.

"Hey Nami, you know you can tell how far away a storm is by how a gap there is between the thunder and lightning?" Luffy asked enthusiastically. Maybe he knew something she didn't about weather. That's be cool.

Nami nodded, "Yup! It's really cool, huh?"

So much for that then.

"It really is!" Luffy agreed, "I think this one is about thirteen miles away."

"Aye?"

Lightning flashed. They both waited intently for the following thunder.

"...Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…." They counted together.

_*RUUUMBLE*_

"Oh neat! New record." Luffy said, grinning.

Nami whistled, "That is some distance away." She paused for a moment, her eyes moving between the bow of the Merry and the storm, "Yeah, fifteen miles looks about right."

"Wow, you can actually tell the distance?"

"Of course I can! I'd be a shit navigator if I couldn't." she said, as if stating the obvious.

"Awesome!"

Then it occurred to Luffy, "Hey, we don't need to worry about this storm, do we?"

"Hm," Nami closed her eyes and tilted her head up towards the sky for a second, "Nope! Air pressure is pretty high over here, plus we got the wind behind us, so we should be safe for now."

Now _that_ was awesome. She could get a read on the weather like that without any fancy gadgets or whatever normal navigators used! Luffy considered himself super lucky to have found Nami. Who knew he'd get a such an amazing navigator along with a friend?

From there they lapsed into silence. Comfortable, companionable silence. The only exception being when they counted between the thunder and lightning.

"Hey Luffy?"

"Hm?"

"How much sleep do you actually get?" Nami asked.

How much sleep? What a weird question.

"I dunno, about five hours, why?" he replied.

"Wait only five?" Nami said, sounding surprised, "How on earth do you-? I can't barely function with out at least eight!"

"Huh, eight! Who would want to lay about for so long!" Luffy retorted, sounding just as surprised.

"Any rational human!"

"Well, it's boring. You can't adventure if you're asleep!" Luffy declared, "Besides why do you wanna know? It's not like it's important."

Nami shook her head, "No real reason, I was just curious. You're always awake late at night like this, but you're always awake when I get up in the morning. The only exception being after a big fight."

"Ah, that makes sense." Luffy said, humming his agreement, "Well you're starting to stay up later as well."

"Tsk, yeah, and I'm sleeping in later too," Nami sighed, "It's such a pain though. I feel like I'm missing out on stuff."

"Then just sleep less."

Nami held her arms in an 'X' in front of her, "No way! I like my sleep, thank you very much." she said, "Besides, I like our late night talks. So, I think I'm getting more than I'm missing." Nami looked at him with a wide smile.

"Shishishi! That's fair." Luffy replied, happily, "I do to, it makes the late nights far more fun!"

"Heh, I second that." Nami said. She suddenly snapped her fingers like she'd just remembered something, "Speaking of sleeping; what do you make of our new stowaways?"

"Huh?" Luffy said dumbly. It took a second for pieces to click as to who Nami was referring to, "Oh! The dancer and the guy with the weird hair!"

"Yeah, them. What do you think?"

He shrugged, there wasn't really much to them, really, "I dunno, they seem nice."

Nami raised an eyebrow, "Nice? They tried to kill Laboon and then us."

"Okay, that was pretty mean of them." Luffy admitted, "But they're just wanting to get home, right? Besides, we beat them once, we can beat them again."

"I guess so," Nami said, "Just something doesn't seem right, you know?" she looked warily at the log pose she'd gotten from old man Crocus, "It just seems convenient that their home is our first stop. The way they talked about it, it's meant to be some pirate haven."

"If it is, makes sense that they'd call it home." Luffy said, "If they try something, like I said, we beat them once, we can do it again."

"I'll take your word for it." Nami said, but she didn't look convinced.

"Come on, Nami! We're on the Grand Line!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping to his feat, arm spread out, gesturing to the sea around them. Thunder rolled with his words, hammering the point home, "You got us over Reverse Mountain no problem at all! There's no time to be worried!"

Nami looked up at him, her face slowly splitting into a wide grin, "Yeah, you're right. We'll get there when we get there!" She hopped up to join him, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Shishishi! That's the spirit! It's like Ace alway said; 'Life's not long enough to be concerned.'" Luffy said, ignoring the fact that he'd butchered the quote, "... Or was it gramps that said that? I don't remember…"

Nami giggled, probably at how poor he quoted the saying, "Who's Ace, by the way?" she asked, "You've never mentioned him before."

"Oh Ace? He's my big brother?" Luffy said with a laugh.

"Wait, you have a big brother?" Nami asked, once more looking gobsmacked, "Why didn't you say?"

"You never asked," he replied casually, "Were you ever gonna mention you had a sister if we didn't meet her?"

"I-I, but that was…" she stammered a bit, "Okay, fair enough."

How was Ace doing? Luffy wondered. It'd been so long since he set out on his adventure. Last Luffy had heard, he'd gotten himself a massive bounty, but that was about it.

"What's he like? Ace, that is." Nami was asking a lot of questions tonight, but she looked genuinely curious. So Luffy was only too happy to oblige.

"He's the coolest guy I know." he said proudly, "We used to train and spar together all the time growing up. We fought like a hundred times a day!" she hummed, sounding impressed. Nami probably thought that he was exaggerating. If only she knew... "Never once did I beat him."

"Was this before or after you ate the the Gum-Gum fruit?"

"Well after."

"Holy crap. He sounds like a monster." Nami said, "Where's he now?"

"No idea! He set sail like, three years ago."

"So, we might run into him at some point then?"

Luffy shrugged, "Probably, who knows?" he chuckled to himself, "I hope so, I bet I could beat him in a fight now, shishishi!"

Nami shook her head fondly, "Sure, if he was still a kid."

"Hey! I could totally beat Ace now!" he shot back.

"If he was still a kid!" Nami was smirking at him now. Like she knew any better!

"You've never met Ace, how would you know?"

"I've never met him and I'm still sure he'd kick your ass!" she countered, "Besides, if he's anything like you, he's probably even more of a monster than you, especially with a three year head start."

"Like hell! I'm ten times stronger than him!" At this point Luffy was glowering indignantly at Nami, while just kept smirking. How infuriating! He was half tempted to go find Ace just to prove his point.

Once more Nami pat him on the cheek, "Sure thing, buddy. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Luffy just huffed and turned away petulantly, arms folded. This sent Nami into a fit of giggles.

"Oh come on, Luffy." she said, "I wasn't serious. I'm sure you take him!" Luffy turned back to her looking hopeful, but she broke out laughing again, "And if you can't do it, I'll beat him up for you."

"Nami!" he whined, "It's not funny."

Nami just laughed harder, "O-o-on the contrary, I-I-I think it's hilarious!"

She continued her laughing for ages, Luffy sat back down, chin resting on the heel of his palm, scowling comically. Slowly Nami's laughter, slowed into giggles then she finally stopped, taking breathing deeply.

"Oh, that was funny," She sighed, "Come on, tough guy. That storm's dissipating, time for bed."

Nami grabbed Luffy by the arm. He reluctantly got to his feet and let her drag him back inside.

As much of a sour face he pulled a sour face, he knew she was only teasing. It's what she did. Especially when it was just the two of them here out on deck together. Luffy really did like to see her so carefree. So… why did it bother him that Nami was teasing him about not being able to beat someone in a fight?

.o0o.

_**Never tell a man he can't win.**_


	6. The 6th Night

_**~The 6th Night~**_

.o0o.

Two years. It had been two years since Vivi had left her home of Alabasta in an attempt to save it. She left with her attendant, and close friend Igaram with the aim of infiltrating Baroque Works. Vivi was fourteen at the time. It was hell. During that time Vivi had to work for the very people trying to tear her country apart. But it was the only way. They needed information. Everything from general operations, to hierarchy of staff, to the fucking swabbies on the billions ships. Nothing was superfluous.

Slowly but surely, both she and Igaram worked their way into the organization, rising through the ranks to become numbered agents. They'd picked up on some of the most crucial information possible. Mr. Zero's identity. The Royal Warlord of the sea, Sir Crocodile. But, it had been for naught. They'd been fooled. Miss All Sunday had _let_ them get that information, fully aware of who they were and what they wanted. Now, she held it over Vivi's head. She would have told Crocodile by now and they would be fully expecting their arrival in Alabasta.

It all looked hopeless. Everything Vivi and Igaram had suffered through was in vain. Yet, Vivi did not feel defeated. As desolate as things had become, with a view of becoming much worse, she held a small glimmer of hope that things would be alright. Hope in the form of a small pirate crew. The Straw Hats.

It was… an odd situation to say the least. Here they were escorting her back to her country, willing help her in her battles with Baroque Works, when naught but a few days ago she'd both tried to kill them, then lead them to the trap that was Whiskey Peak. Honestly, Vivi couldn't make heads or tails of them. The Straw Hats had been sympathetic to her plight, once she shared it. The captain, Luffy, didn't even blink when Crocodile's name had been mentioned. If anything, he seemed more eager to help. Even if the rest of the crew had a bit more to say on the matter. Still, Vivi had been shocked by their kindness.

It was because of them all hope had not been lost. The Straw Hats would bring Vivi home so that she may mend the rift that was slowly being dredged in her beloved country.

However, it did not mean the task of facing down Baroque Works was not still daunting. The Straw Hats were a crew of five against the literal _thousands_ at Baroque Works' disposal, and the senior members alone would be near impossible to beat. The memory of their encounter with Miss All Sunday flashed through Vivi's mind. That woman was terrifying. She had not only snuck onto the Going Merry with everyone none the wiser, but disarmed and disabled the entire crew without so as batting an eyelid. The meeting didn't come to blows, but Vivi had a horrible pit in her stomach that it wouldn't have ended well, if it had. Luckily Miss All Sunday was only there to deliver a message. No, a warning.

But despite the clear, and tangible threat to their lives the pirates did not back down. They held firm in their promise to help Vivi. Luffy even rejected an eternal pose to Alabasta when told their next stop, Little Garden, may take years to get away from. The determination on display was enviable.

So, here Vivi lay, two days later. In a hammock, strung up by an improvised, yet sturdy, rack in the Going Merry's women's quarters, staring at the roof at a, quite frankly, ungodly hour of the night. So many thoughts and feelings churned through her head. The fear and sadness for what was happening in her beloved homeland. The happiness and joy of meeting the Straw Hats. The grief of watching Igaram's ship being blown up.

Vivi's heart clenched. The explosion of his ship echoed through her mind with painful clarity. The heat from the blast still warmed her skin. Igaram was dead. Her friend had given his life to help her get away. Tears burned in her eyes. Vivi sat up in the hammock, rocking it in the process, she curled her legs up into herself and buried her face into her knees. They'd gotten away, but only at the whim of their enemy. Vivi could still hear Igaram's goofy laugh, and the see the steel in his eyes as he sent them off so he could serve as a distraction to aid their getaway. She missed him.

She sat like this for several minutes, desperately trying to stifle the sound of her sobs. Hopefully she didn't wake Nami. That was if Nami had even made it to bed. Either way it didn't matter. It was long past midnight, everyone surely had to be in bed by now. Vivi lay back down. She needed to get to sleep, there was no way to know when they would get to Little Garden so she had to be fully rested just in case.

The longer Vivi lay, the harder sleep came. She tossed and turned but just couldn't get comfortable. The air was becoming thick and stifling, making it hard to breath. Her blanket felt like it was made of hot lead. She was far too clammy and it felt like she'd been kicked at the base of her skull. Vivi needed some air.

Tiptoeing towards the stairs to the upper deck, Vivi was thankful the ship was so tidy. She would have broken her foot five times already.

When she stepped into the kitchen the air was already lighter, cooler, and fresher. It was uplifting. Vivi took a deep breath. The salty air filled her lungs and expanding her chest. Oh how refreshing it was.

"..."

Mumbled speech sounded through the cabin. Vivi stopped dead. People were up? Who would be up at a time like this?

"...!"

There it was again! But, it sounded different this time. There were two people up? Vivi walked up to the porthole by the door to peer out onto the deck. The sky was largely clear, only partially broken up by clouds. The deck itself was bathed in moonlight, but no one was to be seen. Though, that might have something to do with the main mast blocking a large portion of the view. So, moving as slowly as possibly, Vivi cracked open the door outside to try and get an ear on whoever was talking.

"Damn! I thought I had you with that one." Came Nami's voice, "Well, your go now."

"Hmm…" replied Luffy's voice, "I spy with my little eye something beginning with… 'I'."

They were… playing a game? Vivi shook her head. This was not what she was expecting. It wasn't even on the list of things for her to expect! The captain and navigator of the pirate crew that saved her life were playing a children's game, outside, in the middle of the night. How… strange.

Opening the door a bit more she moved to try and get a look at them. Slowly shuffling along the wall to poke her head around the mast. Luffy and Nami were sitting back-to-back in the middle of the deck. Luffy, without his ever present hat, was looking out the port side of the ship, grinning confidently. Nami, wearing her captain's straw hat, was looking around her, searching for anything beginning with her given letter. It was an odd sight to say the least. In the two days Vivi had been on the Going Merry one rule had been clearly established: 'Do not touch the captain's hat'. So for Nami to be wearing it so casually, probably meant the two were closer than Vivi originally thought.

"Iron." Nami said.

"Nooope." Luffy replied, popping the 'p'.

"Island." She tried again.

Vivi looked around, there were no islands in sight.

"Nuh uh!"

"Icicle."

"Naaah."

Again, Vivi looked around. No ice to be seen.

"Iridescent."

Was Nami even taking this seriously? Vivi could only wonder.

"Now you're just making up words!" Luffy said with a laugh.

"It's a real word. I wanted to see if you knew it." Nami replied easily.

"Doesn't matter, that ain't it." The captain sounded confident in his coming victory.

"Alright, I give. What is it?" She didn't sound too put out by admitting defeat.

Luffy's grin widened, "Eye."

Nami whirled around on to her knees and punched her captain on the back of the head, "Dumbass! Eye doesn't begin with an 'I'!" She hissed, "You told me you were literate!"

Vivi blinked once. Blinked twice. Blinked a third time. Was… was he really that dumb?

"Well it sounds like it does! So I thought it'd count!" Luffy turned to Nami, clutching the swiftly swelling lump on the back of his head.

Oh gods, he was. She felt queasy. This was the man Vivi was trusting to help save her beloved homeland.

_Alabasta was doomed._

"Like hell it does! Eye starts with an 'E'!" Nami said, "Besides, who's eye could you even see, we were sitting against each other."

"Well, I couldn't think of anything, so I thought of yours." He replied as if it was obvious.

"B-but, that's… that's not how any of this works!" Nami stammered, looking a little pink around the ears.

"So, I didn't win?" Luffy asked like it just occurred to him.

"No. You lose for being a dumbass." Nami snapped.

"Damn." He snapped his fingers like it was some kind of close call.

At that moment Nami looked ready to slug him again, and Vivi counted help but giggle at the view. The whole interaction was a bit surreal for her. She knew this crew was a bit eccentric, but this was something else.

Both Nami and Luffy looked up having heard her laugh. They caught her eye at the same time.

"Oh, you're awake too." They said.

There was a pause.

Then they broke out laughing as if it was some kind of hilarious in-joke. Vivi just chuckled nervously and waved a them.

Nami pat the ground beside them, "Come on over." She said, "Take a seat."

Vivi nodded and went to join them in the middle of the deck.

"So," Nami, started, "Can't sleep, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, something like that." Vivi replied, sounding somewhat sheepish.

"It's alright," Nami said, with a small, sympathetic smile, "That's how it started out for me too. You'll get through it."

It felt as if Nami really did know what Vivi was going through. The kind look in her eye barely covered hurt Nami was feeling, or at least, had felt. The certainty with which the navigator spoke went a long way to helping settle Vivi churning emotions. Interestingly enough, Luffy watched this subtle, unspoken exchange with a neutral expression being unusually silent. Maybe he too understood what she was going through? Or maybe he just knew it wasn't his time to speak.

"Thank you." Vivi said simply. Both Luffy and Nami broke into wide grins, "So, do you two come out and sit like this often."

Luffy nodded, "Yup! It's a tradition now."

They must have been doing this for quite a while then. These two were certainly closer than first anticipated.

"No, you idiot," Nami chopped her captain on the back of the head with a weary sigh, "I said it was _becoming_ tradition, not that it was." she turned to Vivi, "This is only the sixth or seventh time we've been out here like this."

Ah, so they were getting there.

"Oh, okay, I see." Vivi said, "So what brought it about?"

She was genuinely curious. Nami was the only other girl on the ship, so Vivi wanted to get to know her better, and for as simple as Luffy seemed, she got the feeling there was more to him than met the eye.

"There's not much to it really." Nami said with a shrug, "I had a couple nights were I couldn't sleep, much like yourself, so I came up on deck for some air, and because Luffy doesn't sleep much, he kept me company. Since then, it's just become a thing we do."

It was a simple an explanation as one could expect really. Without prying into _why_ Nami couldn't sleep. Luffy nodded along backing up what Nami was saying.

"I really like it." he said, smiling happily, "It's a lot better having company like this."

"Hmm," Nami hummed, "Definitely, it's nice to just sit and chat without having to worry about anything. It's relaxing." It really sounded like it, "Granted we do sit inside, or just straight up don't both if the weather is bad." she explained.

"Speaking of which…" Nami trailed off, she closed her eyes and tilted her head skyward. Vivi watched curious as to what Nami could be doing. The navigator opened her eyes a couple seconds later and looked at the log pose on her wrist, "Luffy, can you steer the ship ten degrees to starboard?"

"Sure!" Luffy hopped to his feet and began to walk in the direction of the cabin before pausing mid-step, "Uhh, which direction is that?" he asked lamely.

"Hold the steering to the right for a couple seconds."

"Ahh, will do!" And he was off again.

Vivi looked back to Nami. She had this odd expression on her face. It was a mixture of fondness, gladness and something else entirely. Vivi had seen it before in the mirror.

"You like him, don't you?"

Nami's head spun around so fast it gave _Vivi_ whiplash. Her ears were burning a bright pink and her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Vivi panicked. She had pried where she shouldn't have! She really shouldn't have said anything! Oh goodness, what if she just ruined it? They'd hate her. Ooooh, this was bad! Really, really bad!

"N-nonononono!" Nami stammered, waving her hands frantically, "I-I don't li-li-like him like _that_. He's my captain and my friend! Not to mention a complete moron! There's no way I could like him like _that_."

Vivi grabbed the navigator's desperately flapping hands, "It's fine! If you don't, you don't." She said in hurried attempt to calm Nami, "I spoke out of place, it's my fault."

That seemed to work, Nami took a deep, calming breath. The redness in her ears slowly fading away. In Vivi's mind, all that little scene had done was backup her claim.

"But, if you don't mind me asking, you do feel _something_ for him?" she spoke lowly, in an attempt to not be overheard.

Nami's gaze dropped her her hands, currently still being held by Vivi, rest on her lap. She nodded slowly, as if ashamed,

"It's just a crush," she said, "Luffy saved my life. My whole island. I had been stuck as pawn to a pirate for eight years. My hometown was held to ransom. Then Luffy came, and without even asking why, freed me from that life, and then offered me the chance to fulfill my dream."

Her tone had become wistful and full of admiration for the man in question. To Vivi it made so much sense. This was the pain Nami had felt before, and Luffy saved her. It's only natural she'd feel something for her saviour.

Nami looked up with a shaky smile and met Vivi's gaze, "It's just a childish crush, really. It'll be gone before you know it." She reached up and grabbed the edge of the straw hat. She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything.

It must have been difficult for Nami. If what she said was true, then her problem started when she was ten, so she has probably never had a crush on someone before, and being the only girl on the ship for the longest time didn't help as she'd have had no one to talk to. Vivi's heart went out to her. She had friends, family and attendants she could talk to. Nami didn't have any of that right now.

"What're you guys whispering about?" Luffy asked, appearing from nowhere.

"AHHH!"

The two girls startled at the captain's sudden appearance. The tender and vulnerable moment shattered like glass. Nami gripped the brim of the hat and pulled it down over her face, mostly fearing that she'd been overheard by the very guy they were talking about. Vivi needed to think quick!

"O-oh, you know, j-just girl things." Vivi said. Hopefully that would throw him off.

Luffy pulled a face like he just sucked on a lemon, "Ah, that's fair."

He took his seat back down beside them with a small huff, "Nami, I did what you said."

Just barely the hat from her face, Nami looked at the log pose. The needle had changed direction a few degrees but they were largely still on course. Why had they needed to change direction in the first place? Nami nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Good, you went a bit further than ten degrees but we should still be fine." she said, finally moving the hat back to the top of her head, "We'll just have to turn it back when we go to bed."

"Uh, why did you need to change cour-" Vivi was cut off by the sound of rolling thunder. She looked up and sure enough, dark clouds had were rapidly forming up ahead and to the left of the Going Merry. Judging by their where they were forming, they'd have run straight into them had Nami not ordered the change of course. How on earth did she do that?

Apparently Vivi was wearing her amazement on her face as Nami looked at her with a cocky smile and gave her a cheeky wink.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" Luffy said, completely unsurprised, "Nami's the best navigator there is!"

"No kidding." Vivi whispered, "How did you know? I didn't see anything."

Vivi knew a thing or two about navigation. Between her and Mr. 9, she was the only one even willing to learn. The arrogant prick. He left her to navigate them from job to job. But this… this was something else entirely.

"I can read air pressure and temperature really easily. It was a knack I discovered when I was a kid. I didn't know what to do with it at first, but I managed to train myself to know when storms are coming." Nami explain, "It was a lot of trial and error but I got the hang of it eventually. Pretty neat, huh?"

"I'll say!" Luffy exclaimed. It seemed like this was the first time he had heard this too, "But, I bet you got shipwrecked a lot too?"

Nami laughed lightly, "Only once. I got super lucky and was picked up once the storm passed. After that, I kept myself to shore when practicing."

That made sense. Vivi was amazed Nami wasn't put off sailing entirely by the ordeal. Getting shipwrecked wasn't exactly a minor thing one could shake off.

"So, Vivi, what's kept you up so late." Nami asked.

"Uh oh, you know… stuff." she said, "Just couldn't sleep. Must've been something I ate, haha."

"That doesn't sound right." Luffy said, head tilted to the side, "Sanji's food is never bad. Didn't he ask you about stuff you can't eat when you joined?"

Sanji had. It was the only moment that Sanji spoke to her that didn't involve him fawning over her. The chef took his work very seriously.

Nami grinned, looking like the proverbial cat, "He did. I was there when it happened."

Shit, she was. Vivi was sweating. She really didn't want to share why she couldn't sleep.

"I, uh, I…" Her mind raced as she struggled to think of a suitable excuse. Her eye shifted frantically from side to side, trying to find something, anything!

"If you don't wanna say, you don't have to." Luffy said, "But when you do we'll listen. Right, Nami?" Vivi got the feeling it wasn't really a question.

Nami nodded, her devilish grin faded back to that understanding smile from before. Was she just teasing her?

Relief flushed through Vivi in waves. Thank the gods Luffy was so understanding! She knew Nami had shown a lot of trust in sharing her feelings but this… Vivi just couldn't. It was too soon. Too fresh.

From there they lapsed into silence. Not saying anything, just enjoying each others company. There was something special about silences like these, Vivi thought, were you didn't feel awkward, or like you were obligated to say or do anything. You just enjoyed being in the presence of your friends. And they were friends to Vivi. Given what these people were willing to risk for her in the short time they'd known each other, she was proud to call them friends.

And given the looks Nami was stealing when Luffy wasn't looking, and surprisingly enough, vice versa. Maybe something more, in due time.

.o0o.

_**~Do you think they noticed?~**_

_**(Note: Dialogue with these guys is really fun! Also, to the kind anon who commented on Chapter 5; I'm glad you thought so, because after all, Rome wasn't built in a day!)**_


	7. The 7th Night

_**~The 7th Night~**_

.o0o.

Nami slouched back against Merry's main mast, knocking her knees together, humming a tune. Luffy was still hanging out with Usopp and the others. Vivi and Carue had long since gone to bed, so Nami decided to take some peace out on deck while waiting on the rubber man. She'd developed a bit of a headache, so the cool night air was doing her nicely. They had left Little Garden earlier that day and where now heading for Alabasta proper, but that was going to take at least a week of straight travel. Thankfully Dorry and Brogy had been kind enough to help them stock up.

Looking back on it, Little Garden had been more of a shit show than first anticipated. Originally, it was meant to be a big, ominous island where the main threat was being stranded there for three years while the Log Pose reset. A pretty problem in it's own right. It was faith alone that stopped Nami from tying her captains limbs in a knot, and throwing him overboard for refusing a compass that _literally _pointed to where they wanted to go, completely avoiding Little Garden entirely. But then again, given who was offering it; it was probably some kind of trap. So, six to one, half a dozen to the other. That Miss All Sunday woman was scary. But, what they hadn't been expecting was an island full of Baroque Works agents, a pair monstrous giants and MOTHERFUCKING DINOSAURS!

Then, as if to add insult to injury, Nami had been bitten by a bug!

The bite itself hadn't been so bad, it was just a bug bite after all. What really pissed Nami off about it was that it left the ugliest bruise. It was no bigger than a ten beri piece, but it was the most horrible shade of green and purple. So much for wearing cute bikini tops to islands…

Still, at least they got away faster than the predicted several years.

Nami sighed, looking up to the clear sky. All the constellations were visible tonight and the weather was stable. It kind of reminded Nami of the first night on the Merry. She smiled softly at the memory. Gods, that seemed so long ago. So much can happen in, what, A month and half - two months? Arlong had been defeated, they'd traveled to the Grand Line, and gotten involved in a clandestine plot to overthrow a major nation, lead by a Royal Warlord of the sea in which there was a pretty big chance they would all be killed…

Nami buried her head in her hands and groaned. How did this happen? Couldn't have been as simple as it was in East Blue? Where the pirates were just pompous assholes that Luffy and/or Zoro could just walk over. But, Vivi needed them, though. She was relying on them to help her take down Baroque Works, Warlord or not. Nami slapped her cheeks. She needed to toughen up. She wouldn't always be able to fall back on Luffy and the others to fight battles for her! Her head throbbed. How could she keep up?

No, how could she catch up?

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had been training to fight ever since they were kids. They were basically prodigies in their respective fields. Even Usopp, for as wimpy as he was in a tete-a-tete, his aim was so accurate Nami could swear he could see past the curvature of the earth. It was ridiculous! She rested her head back on the main mast. Now, she was never one to be shy about her abilities or achievements. For one, her navigational skills were second to none, she could even read the weather in ways most navigators could only dream of! Not to mention her penchant for thieving - '_kleptomania'_, as Mr. Gen would call it - was as good as anyone else. You don't steal a hundred odd million beris by being a novice thief.

But, when it came to combat, Nami was just… alright. Good enough. Can get by. Her skills with a Bo staff were good, when compared to the average joe, and that had been plenty. She could defend herself when things got hairy, helped by the fact she was underestimated for being a cute girl, but out here, on the Grand Line. She was fodder at best. And that fact settled in her like a rock. Her head throbbed.

Just as Nami was about to close her eyes, the top of a straw hat popped into her peripheral vision. Ah, so the others had finally gone to bed.

"BOO!" he yelled.

Completely unmoved, Nami glanced over at her captain, "Oh, you're awake too."

The shoe was on the other foot tonight.

Luffy, who had apparently been on his hands and knees in his attempt to sneak up on her, collapsed onto his stomach and groaned, "Naaaaami!" he whined, "It's not fair that you can sneak up on me, but I can't sneak up on you." he stuck out his bottom lip petulantly, his hat having dropped over his forehead and eyes.

Nami looked down at him fondly. He'd been trying to get revenge on her ever since she won their little bet a few days back. She'd won in about two days of trying, by the by. Unfortunately for Luffy, he was rubbish at stealth. Every attempt he made was either, in a room with multiple people, who all glanced at him when he approached, or he gave himself away to early by giggling to himself, or, like he just did, getting into her eye line. It was both comical and endearing.

"That's because, Luffy," She began with a smug grin, "You're like a bull in a china shop. You can't sneak for shit."

The half hearted glare he shot her from under his hat was straight up hilarious.

"But I managed it the other night when you and Vivi were talking!" he exclaimed.

"True, but we weren't expecting it. A seagull shitting on the ground too close to us would have made us jump." Nami retorted with a smirk.

"Then teach me." Luffy demanded.

"Hmm," Nami placed a finger on her chin. She genuinely considered giving it a go, as the thought of Luffy trying to sneak about the ship was gold mine of comedy. Ultimately, it was probably for the best she didn't. The amount of effort she'd have to put in verses what he's get out was about as unbalanced as it could get. Her head ached at the thought of trying to teach him the values of being patient, "Naaaah! Don't wanna be giving away trade secrets now, do I?"

"Not fair!" he moaned.

"Hey, you get ungodly strength and vitality," Nami said with nonchalant shrug, "I get to be sneaky and good looking."

Luffy didn't look satisfied.

"I'll tell you what's unfair," She said, pinching Luffy's cheek and pulling it, "You get to eat as much as you want, and not put on a single pound."

"Wha's tha' gotta do wi' any'hing," he said, looking, not confused, more curious.

Oh, how Nami wished she could have his attitude towards food.

"What? You think I look this good naturally?" Nami let go of his cheek, and positioned herself to rest on her elbow, and one leg, giving Luffy a full view of her body. She ran her hand up her leg, waist and chest trying to bring attention to her shapely curves, "I gotta work hard to keep this sexiness." she said, teasingly, giving Luffy a saucy wink.

Now, any lesser man would have flushed bright pink at her showing off her figure like this. Many in the past had. Her t-shirt, while covering her torso completely, was snug and her breasts strained against it nicely as they tried to fall to earth. While her short shorts were tight against her legs showing off their shape wonderfully, while leaving just enough to the imagination. All in all, Nami felt she looked gorgeous.

Of course, to a sexless clod like Luffy, that meant sweet jack shit.

He looked her up and down multiple times. His eyes staring intently as if trying to divine the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything with each once over.

Nami might have just been imagining it, but she could swear he was spending a bit more time on her legs than the rest of her. Though, that might have just been wishful thinking. Also she was definitely imagining the tips of his ears turning ever so slightly pink. It must have been the cold…

"Nope, I don't get it," Luffy declared, "You'd look fine however much you eat." he chuckled, "Besides you can eat whatever you want! You could just work it off later, anyways!"

"Gee, thanks for the advice," Nami muttered, it's not like that's what she hadn't been doing. She wasn't exactly a fussy eater, but she was careful about what she ate. Having Sanji as a cook certainly helped. "I think I'll go eat an entire buffet now."

"Shishishi, that's the spirit!" Luffy laughed, her sarcasm flying over his head with a clear whistle.

Nami slouched back against the mast again, this time feeling a little deflated, "I don't even know what I was expecting from you."

What _had_ she been expecting? For him to turn beat red and start stammering over her beauty? He wasn't Sanji. She knew Luffy's libido probably that of a five year old, so of course he wouldn't go for it. Oh well, he did compliment her at least. That was something. Her head throbbed.

"So what you been up to?" Luffy asked, sitting up beside her. He was close enough that she could feel his body heat on her bare arm. It was nice.

"Not much," Nami replied, "Was just enjoying the peace and quiet before you came to ruin it."

"That so?" Luffy laughed, "Well, I'm here now, so what's up?"

Nami raised an eyebrow at him, "What makes you think something is up?"

"I dunno, you just looked not well." He said with a shrug.

"You don't say," Nami said, "It's not, just an annoying headache. I'll drink some water before bed." It was probably was just dehydration. She hadn't drank much since dinner, and most of the pain was around her forehead. An easy fix.

"Hmm, don't we have any of those… those whatcha-ma-call-ems…" Luffy struggled to find the word. He folded his arms and pressed his finger to his forehead in an attempt to try and recall, "Grandpa used to take them all the time when he dealt with me and Ace…"

"Tablets? Aspirin?" Nami supplied, amused at the sight of Luffy's face turning red from exertion. It was adorable, "Ibuprofen?"

"That's the one!" he exclaimed, "Eyebrow-propane!"

"That's not even close to right." Nami said flatly.

"Doesn't matter. Don't we have any of that?" Luffy asked.

"Sadly not." She replied, "We used the last of it after Whiskey Peak, trying to cure everyone's hangover."

They did drink a _lot _that night.

"Damn." Luffy snapped his fingers, "And we don't have a doctor either…"

"Mhm," Nami hummed, "Come to think of it, that's something we need to talk about."

"Talk about what?"

"Recruitment." Nami said, expression becoming hard. This was not something she'd take lightly. Before they'd always talked as friend, comrades, but now, they needed to be pirates.

And just like that, Luffy's expression sobered up. The merry twinkle that was a near constant in his eyes extinguished and wide smile he sported became nothing more than a thin, pursed line. The goofy, fun loving, rubber man stepped aside for a second, the Captain was now in attendance.

"What about it." he replied. The lack of any kind of positive emotion in his tone was straight up unnerving. Luffy was making it clear; he's taking this seriously.

Nami paused to take a breath and consider her words. She was the, unofficial second mate of the crew, she had the ear of the captain, and while on such a small crew it didn't mean much, it meant _something_. Her head throbbed. "We need more people."

Luffy said nothing. He just staring at her intently, wanting her to elaborate, "Right now, we're a crew of what? Six people? Seven if you include Carue." she continued, "We're going up against Baroque works, an organization of several _thousand_, run by a Warlord, no less."

He knew this. They all knew this. The situation had been made clear to them all when they got into this situation. The slight twitch in Luffy's brow told Nami she was just treading old ground. She needed to get to the point.

"We need more people." she stated, "We barely cover enough of the bases as is. Some are even pulling double duty at times. We've been stupidly lucky to make it as far as we have without a doctor."

"I'm not gonna recruit just anybody for the sake of filling a role, Nami." Luffy said. His words were stern, but not harsh. His tone was hard, but not cold. It sent a small shiver down Nami's spine, "I only accept the best."

"I know that." she said, "None of us would follow you if you didn't, what I'm trying to say is we can't go much longer as we are. We need a doctor, or someone who can fight. Hell, if we can find someone who can do both, that would be perfect."

Her head throbbed.

"Back on Little Garden, just those four agents gave us the runaround. Mr. 3 was on the verge of turning us into statues. Miss Goldenweek had you drinking tea while that happened." Nami tapped her finger onto the deck between them, trying to, in some way, stress the point, "Zoro tried to cut his fucking feet off. What if he'd managed to go through with it? He'd be dead right now."

Luffy did not look happy. He was scowling something fierce. Whether it was at her or at the memories she was invoking, Nami didn't know.

"I'm not asking you to recruit anybody, Luffy," she said gently, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder, his expression lifted somewhat, "I just mean that we can't waste any opportunities to do so."

They stared at each other in silence. Nami, with one hand still on his shoulder, was willing him with are her might to understand. Luffy was looking back at her, unblinkingly. It felt like he was trying to read her soul or something. Nami pleaded with herself not to blush under the intensity of his gaze. Her face was feeling rather warm.

Finally Luffy dipped his head, "Yeah, you're right." he said, with a sigh, "I guess I'll make a point of it from here."

Nami pulled Luffy into a hug. Her arms wrapped, lightly around his neck. She rested her chin on his shoulder and he did the same on her. Nami felt her ears blush when he wrapped his arms around her waist to hug her back, "Thank you." she whispered.

Nami didn't really know why she felt the need to do something like this, but Luffy actually listening to her, taking her advice on board when she wasn't barking orders at him, or having a go at him for being reckless. It meant a lot. She chalked it up to her stupid crush. Her head throbbed.

Her captain might have been the kind of guy who could fly by the seat of his pants and hope for the best. Nami was not. She needed some form of plan, or insurance at least, for something to be done. Her captain's word was enough. She trusted him.

They stayed like that for several minutes. Nami felt her eyes becoming heavier, and her body began weighing itself down. She yawned softly. When did she get so tired? She was feeling fine a couple minutes ago.

Luffy apparently picked up on it and, with her arms still around his neck, scoped her up bridal style with no effort whatsoever. It was nice. The gentle rocking of his steps as he walked to the woman's quarters. By that point, Nami was essentially gone. She was vaguely aware of his chest rumbling as he spoke. Probably to Vivi, apologizing for waking her. Nami didn't care. She was feeling nice and floaty, ready for sleep.

She just wished her head would stop throbbing…

.o0o.

**_~The next night~_**

Luffy sat by Nami's bed. It was dark. No light permeated any part of the women's quarters, such was the quality of which it was built. But Luffy didn't need it. He didn't want it. The sight of Nami's sickly pallor had burned itself into his mind's eye. Skin was devoid of colour, yet her cheeks were and angry red, as if they'd been burned with an iron. Sweat covered her skin in a sickly sheen, sticking her normally silky, and well kept hair to her head. Nami was sick.

And if what Vivi and Sanji said was true, she might even _die_.

No. He wouldn't let that happen. Luffy would never lose anyone again. Not if he could help it!

But, that was just it, wasn't it? Luffy couldn't help it. This was not some enemy he could fight. Something that simply being strong could do anything about. This was a disease. He couldn't do anything about it.

He was helpless.

That's not to say he didn't try. Luffy knew nothing about being sick. He'd never been sick. Ace had never been sick. Dadan and her bandits had all been sick multiple times, but with them Luffy had always been told '_they'll be fine in a few days, don't worry'_ and he never did. They were tough like that. Luffy offered everything he could think of. From food, to ice, to trying to make Nami laugh. Grandpa always said laughter was the best medicine. Turns out that was a lie. With everything he tried, he was told he'd only be making Nami worse.

Luffy stared into the darkness where he knew Nami's head was. Her breath was heavy and ragged. Like her body had convinced itself that it just needed more air. It almost drowned out the sound of everyone else in the sleeping in the room. He clenched his fists against his trousers.

Nami had been right. They need more people. A doctor especially. It's not like Luffy hadn't been planning on recruiting more, he wanted a crew of ten after all. But he had been playing it a bit fast and loose. Just traveling around until he found someone cool to join his crew. No real plan or intent in it until a particular role became needed. It was something he was now beginning to regret somewhat. His crewmates life should not have to be put at risk for him to make a move.

That's what Nami was telling him the previous night.

Of course, there was no way, he - or any of them for that matter - could possibly have known Nami would fall sick so suddenly, and so badly. But, that was the point. Nami had said they'd been lucky. For them to have been at sea for as long they had and for no one to have gotten sick, was nothing short of a miracle. Luffy saw that now.

He would not lose a single person on his crew. They were all special to him. _Nami _was special to him. Luffy absolutely refused to lose someone again.

.o0o.

_**~In sickness and in health, eh?~**_

_**(Note: I have a couple things I wanna talk about, so I'll be nice and quick! **_

_**Thing the first - A heads up, from here on out, I'm not gonna cover every night Luffy and Nami spend together. That's more nights than I've got the material/creative talent for. So if they reference another night that hasn't been depicted, don't worry about it! **_

_**Thing the second - I crave a boon. Feedback! I'm writing this as I want to improve my skills as a writer. There are other ways than fanfic writing, but I enjoy this too much! So, if there is anything you, as a reader, like or dislike, or want to see more of, please share! It will help the future of this fic and any more I write in the future. So please, keep it in mind with future chapters. Thank you kindly!)**_


	8. The 8th Night

_**~The 8th Night~**_

.o0o.

"You know, we probably shouldn't sit out in the snow like this."

"Hmm… probably not. But it is _really _cool, though."

"You're not wrong there. Still, we shouldn't be out here too long. It was only yesterday that I was bedridden."

"I guess. But, we have a doctor now! It won't be so bad."

"For you at least."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Idiots can't catch a cold."

"Oh yea- wait! That's mean!"

Nami laughed, slapping her knee a couple times, "Hahahaha, so you admit it!"

"No I don't!" Luffy exclaimed, "You're just being really tricky!"

"You make it so easy!" she said, "It's like shooting fish in a barrel with you."

Her captain turned away from her, arms folded, "I do not." He muttered, "You're just a witch."

If that had come from Zoro, she'd would've had a go at him, - or doubled his debt. Again. - but coming from Luffy, it was so weak and half-hearted it was pathetic. He was clearly just trying to copy their First Mate in order to get _some _kind of rise out of her.

Luffy literally could not insult anyone on their crew if he tried. It was too cute.

Nami couldn't help but giggle at him. Looking at him now, one would hardly believe that Luffy was a pirate worth thirty million beri, or that he'd just defeated a tyrannical despot to help cure a nation. Here, he was just Luffy, rubber man and dumbass extraordinaire. A man who, one day would be taking down vicious, then the next, nearly choke to death on a kebab because he wanted to eat all of the meat, but none of the vegetables.

She wouldn't have him any other way.

The witch doctor told Nami all about what Luffy had gone through to get her to the top of the mountain. Risking death by frostbite to carry her and Sanji all the way to the summit. All while barefoot. Then he begged Kureha for to treat her and Sanji first, despite the fact he could have lost limbs in that time. Luffy really was something else.

Nami looked out over Merry's deck. She and Luffy were sitting up against her railing, watching the snow drift gently down around them, resting on the deck in a thin, smooth sheet. They had set out from Drum Island rather late in the day, so they were still close enough that the climate would allow for such a peaceful snowfall. An oil lantern sat not two feet away from them, bathing the area in a warm, orange glow. It was straight up picturesque.

The two of them sat under thick, duck feather duvet, that had been bought from Drum before leaving, dressed in a pair of winter coats pilfered from Zoro, and Vivi. Nami's shoulder brushed up against Luffy's. She couldn't help but enjoy how cozy they were, despite the cold that surrounded them.

It all reminded Nami of winter back on Cocoyashi. Snow was always a special occasion, what with the island being tropical. It would come once, maybe twice, per year, and it always stuck around for days after. Bellemere would let her and Nojiko stay up late to watch the snowfall during the night. The town had made something of a tradition out of it. They would light lanterns and fill the streets with them, till the whole town was lit up. Bellemere would take them into two to watch. Everyone was would remain quiet. The glow of the lanterns would cover the snow for miles and miles, filling the space with ethereal silence. Sound would carry far beyond what it would naturally. Something about snow reverberating sound really well. To a younger Nami, it was breathtaking.

Her mother would always tell her '_On nights like these, magic happens!'_

Those words echoed in Nami's mind as she watched the snow come to rest on the blanket that covered her, and Luffy's legs.

Speaking of the dumbass.

Nami looked up at him, only to meet his gaze. Had he been staring at her? He was looking pretty intent. So… probably?

"What?" she asked lamely.

He took a moment to react, "You were thinking about something."

"Mhm," Nami nodded, "I was. Does that worry you?"

"I dunno," he said, nonchalant, "Should it?"

Nami just laughed, "No, not this time. I was thinking how this snow reminded me of home."

Her captain cocked his head to the side, "Why? Did it snow a lot?" he asked.

"Nope!" she said, popping the 'p', "Just the opposite, but that's what made it so special." she was starting to sound wistful now, "We may not see any snow for a while, you know. Vivi said her home was a summer isle, covered in a vast desert and I have no idea what the island's past that are like. It's just nice to appreciate it while we're here."

Luffy didn't look away from her. He just watched as she spoke, hanging off of her every word. Nami noticed his eyes darting about her face, taking in every detail, like it was the first time he'd ever seen her. He looked enraptured. Her breath caught in her throat. The lamp light lit up one side of Luffy's face, casting the other in shadow. Pair that with the backdrop of the night behind him, and it gave him a look of maturity that Nami had never seen in him before. The light caught every curve of his cheekbone, and the line of his jaw. Was this what he'd look like in a few years time? It took Nami a couple seconds before she remembered to breath.

Finally, Luffy tore his eyes away from her, looking down at the lantern in front of them,

"Definitely." he said softly, "Nights like these are special."

From there they lapsed into a comfortable silence. No need to talk. Just enjoy being in the company of a friend. For Nami, her best friend. Sure, there were others on board that she could talk more with, and with Vivi being the only other girl, there were things _only_ they would talk about. But, there were none that Nami felt closer, nor more comfortable with than Luffy. She leaned ever so slightly into Luffy's shoulder. He didn't seem to mind.

Nami cast her mind back about a week, to when she and Luffy were joined by Vivi on deck. The princess had called her out on her crush on the captain. Nami had denied it vilhelmently, claiming it was childish, and would disappear before long. After all, a man like Luffy doing everything he had for her, of course she'd develop a crush on him. But, even then, he was Luffy. Oblivious, blundering, bumblefuck that he was, he was still her captain. There couldn't be anything between them! It would throw off the crew's dynamic. It just couldn't happen.

Yet, now, Nami couldn't help but think, maybe she should just enjoy it while it lasts. She genuinely did believe it was just puppy love and would fade with time, but instead of denying it, and forcing those emotions back - maybe, just enjoy it. Even if Luffy never realised, or feels anything back. Just bask in its warmth while she could. Who knew how long it would before she'd ever feel anything like this again. It would be her little secret.

"Hey, Luffy," Nami said.

"What's up?" he replied, looking over to her.

"Thank you for taking care of me." Nami said, smiling brightly at him.

Luffy blinked, confused, "But that wasn't me." he said simply, "It was Chopper and the old hag."

"I know that," Nami replied with a laugh, "I mean, for getting me to them, and just in general."

"Oh, that!" Luffy exclaimed, "It was nothing, you needed to see a doctor. But, didn't you already thank me?"

"I did," she said, "I made sure to thank everyone else, as well. Sanji nearly died when I hugged him though." Nami sighed at that. At least he appreciated it, "I just wanted to thank you again, seeing as that was the second time you've risked your life for me."

"Shishishi, I'm just happy you're still alive." he said cheerily, "I'd do it again any time."

"And I'm glad you would. Lord knows where I'd be otherwise." Nami replied. She couldn't help Luffy's expression sour for a moment. Most likely contemplating such a scenario. It made Nami shiver to think about as well, the thought of her captain not being there when Arlong sold her out. She had not been in a good place. "But, I've been thinking-"

"Dangerous." Luffy cut in quickly.

Nami felt her jaw go slack. Did… did Luffy just _sass_ her? He was grinning widely at her, looking _incredibly _proud of himself. She would not stand for this!

"Like you're one to talk, captain." She retorted, "People in glass houses after all."

"You do it to me all the time!" He shot back, "Besides, what do glass houses have to do with it anyway?"

Ah, so he was just trying to get back at her. That was fair. Still, he had a long way to go before he would be able to outdo her in an a battle of wits.

"It means dumbasses, like you, shouldn't call other people stupid." Nami explained carelessly.

"Hey that's no fair!" Luffy exclaimed, indignantly "And you haven't explained what glass houses have to do with it."

'_Oh Luffy,'_ Nami thought, looking at his earnest expression as he completely misunderstood the phrase, '_Never change.'_

"It's an idiom, Luffy," she explained, "'People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.'"

There was a pause while Luffy processed this new information.

"_You're_ an idiot." Luffy said finally, face curiously straight.

He thought she was calling him an idiot again… For some reason the word 'whoosh' came to the forefront of Nami's mind.

Nami sighed and shook her head, shaking free some snow that had come to rest there. Mr. Gen had warned her of this. "_You should never argue with an idiot"_ he had said, "_They'll only drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."_ She was eight when he told her that and she didn't fully understand what it meant. Now, she had first hand experience. Truly, his wisdom was beyond anything Nami knew.

"You're just proving my point, stupid." She said, giving her captain a dig in the arm, "And you've pulled me off track. I was gonna tell you something important."

Luffy perked up, "You're gonna let me buy more food?" he asked hopefully, his eye sparkling at the, unfounded, possibility of food."

"Like hell!" Nami snapped, smacking him over the head, "You'd run us dry in minutes, and you're not even the one that buys food, anyway." Luffy scowled pathetically at her, like a child scolded, "I was wanting to say that I want to pay you back."

"Why?" Luffy asked, dropping the sour look and raising an eyebrow, "You don't need to. I did it cause I wanted to."

"I am well aware," Nami replied, "But I don't mean by giving you anything, so no funny ideas, okay?" Luffy nodded, still looking curious, "I just… I want to get stronger."

"Okay…" Luffy said, not looking any clearer on the matter, "How's that paying me back?"

"Because, I wanna show that you were right to do everything you've done for me." Nami explained.

"I still don't get it." he said, "I did all that 'cause you're my friend. You don't have to do anything."

This might take a bit of time.

"Yes, I know that." she said, trying not to sound exasperated, "But, I want to get stronger to prove your effort wasn't fruitless. Outside of Usopp, I'm the weakest of the crew in a fight, but even then, he is a marksman, if he's in a straight up fight something's gone horribly wrong to begin with." Nami continued, building up momentum as she spoke, "If we're gonna be fighting people stronger than Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek, I need to catch up to the rest of you guys in some way. I don't wanna end up being the one having to sit out of fights because I'm too weak. _Especially_ since we're such a small crew. A weak link, like me, in a fight will only be exploited, and I don't want to be that. That's how I want to repay you. By getting strong enough that you never have to worry about helping me ever again."

Nami finished feeling a little short of breath. This was something she was dead set, now. The fight that awaited them in Alabasta was beyond anything they'd come across before, and that was to say nothing of what would come after. Nami refused to be a weakness.

Throughout her little tirade, Luffy's confused expression slowly fell away as he clicked on to what Nami was telling him, slowly breaking out into a face splitting grin.

"That's awesome, Nami!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air, "You're gonna be super cool when you get stronger!" He looked straight up giddy now, "So what you gonna do? New weapon, training, something else?"

Who knew Luffy found the idea of someone getting stronger interesting. Maybe because it was a member of his crew?

"Ah, well I'm glad you think so." Nami said, looking away from him, feeling slightly embarrassed. She had imagined he'd think it cool and would both acknowledge and back her up on it, but not for him to be so enthusiastic about it, "I asked Usopp to make a weapon I can use. He said that he had just the thing and that it would be _really_ powerful. That, and I'm gonna re-take up Bo training again."

Luffy's eyes sparkled at the prospect of an Usopp-made weapon. He most likely thought it was gonna be some absurd, god slaying, super weapon, or some such nonsense, but given the way Usopp spoke to her when he accept the job, it gave Nami some hope that it would be something special.

"Ooooooh!" Luffy positively squealed, "That's so cool! Usopp's gonna make something super awesome!" He looked completely lost in his own imagination.

"Oi, calm down," Nami said, giving Luffy's ear a twist, it was freezing to the touch, "Don't get ahead of yourself. We don't even know what it is yet. It could just be a metal staff."

Luffy shook his head confidently, his ear stretching in Nami's grip, "Nah," he said, "Usopp's not so boring. He's gonna make you the _best_ weapon. You have to show me when it's finished!"

That was probably a little hyperbolic, but it was nice to see Luffy so optimistic. Though, optimism was Luffy's default state

"Sure, I don't see why not." Nami said, smiling at him, "Might a take a while though. I only asked Usopp before dinner."

"That's fine by me!" Luffy said, "Just one more thing to look forward too, I guess."

Now that was a novelty. Luffy willing to be patient for something, rather than moaning and whining for it. Nami couldn't help but wonder how long he'd last. Judging by the way he was rocking side to side, grinning like a child on Christmas? Nami gave him twelve hours.

"Oh yeah!" Luffy said, as if just remembering something, "If you're gonna be training, I'm more than happy to help you out."

"I appreciate the offer, Luffy" Nami said, "But I highly doubt you can teach me anything about fighting with a Bo staff." It was nice of him to offer though, "But, if you wanna spar, I'm down for that, so long as you go easy on me that is."

Luffy folded his arms, looking distinctly put out, "I can too! I used to fight with a staff!"

Nami blinked, "Wait, you did?"

"Oh yeah! All the time with Ace. I left it back home, but there's gotta be a pipe around here I can use." Luffy explained.

Nami just stared at her captain. For some reason she just couldn't imagine Luffy using a weapon. Okay, that wasn't true, she saw him try and use a sword against Arlong. What Nami couldn't imagine Luffy using a weapon _effectively_.

"So, you were actually good with it?" Nami asked carefully, still trying to come to terms with this little revelation.

"Yup!" Luffy proclaimed, "I mean, I was… I didn't use it as much when I got better with my abilities, so I'm probably _really_ out of practice."

Actually, that seemed perfect for Nami. Now, she had no real faith in Luffy knowing any kinds of forms or techniques with a staff, seeing as he was just a glorified brawler, but if what he said was true, then he was, at least, _experienced_ with one, which served her needs amazingly well.

Nami nodded. She had decided.

"Alright, Luffy." She declared, "I want to spar with you-"

"YAY!"

"-Under one condition."

"What's that?"

She gave him the nicest, most kindest, and absolutely not threatening his life smile she could, "Go easy on me."

Luffy just grinned, "Sure thing! We'll start first thing tomorrow!"

And like that the strongest sense of dread took over Nami. Like the storm cloud of a building hypercane charging over the horizon. It had suddenly occurred to her. Nami had never seen Luffy train. Zoro did it all the time, and she knew Sanji got in an hour or two every morning when everyone else was asleep. But Luffy? Nothing. Not a weight lifted, or a situp completed. Yet he was by far the strongest of the crew. What if… what if Luffy's idea of 'going easy' wasn't easy at all. After all, he never did anything by half. He either put 100% into something or just didn't bother to begin with. A pit opened in Nami's stomach. Images of Luffy running her through insane trials of strength and endurance, fit to kill men like Zoro and Sanji filled her mind.

She had made a huge mistake.

"Hey? You okay?" Luffy's voice brought Nami out of her nightmare fueled stupor, "You're gone really pale all of a sudden. Are you sick again!?" He started to panic.

"No, I'm fine." Nami replied, her voice shaky, "Just… let's start training _after _Usopp gets me my weapon."

"Aww, you sure?" He sounded disappointed, "We don't have any big animals for you to fight, but I can fill part. It'll be fu-"

"NO!" Nami couldn't interrupt him fast enough, she did not want to know any more about it, "Let's just wait a bit, I'm _technically_ still recovering after all." That was a lie. She was perfectly fine, but he didn't know that.

"Oh, then that's fine. We'll wait." Luffy said with a small shrug.

Bullet dodged.

Nami swore she'd get strong, and she'd work her hardest to see it through. What she didn't want was to be killed by Luffy's idea of training. That could wait a while yet.

"Right." Nami said, pushing herself up, "Best we get to bed, snow's gonna pick up soon." That, and the lamp was getting dim.

"Aww!" Luffy whined, "But I just got comfortable."

"Yeah, well tough. It's baltic out now, and we need sleep."Nami ripped the snow covered blanket off his legs and shook the snow off all over him. He didn't look too happy about it.

With all the white, fluffy debris taken care off she began for fold it up. There was a soft ruffling and crunching of snow behind her.

"Thow so much as a flake at me and I swear I'll throw you overboard and elect Zoro captain." Nami said, not even looking at her captain. The soft crunch and pathetic moan confirmed her suspicions.

Blanket now under arm, she turned and grabbed Luffy by the wrist, pulling him to his feet. With her spare hand Nami dusted the snow off his shoulders and hat. Probably with more care than she intended.

Nami was determined to savour these nights, these moments, as best she could and for as long as possible. Who knew what was to come next. Alabasta was going to be a major event, both for them as a crew and the people of the country itself. Nami couldn't help by feel that this is where they'd make a name for themselves. Whether that was a good thing or not, she had yet to decide.

She smiled at Luffy's back as she shoved him towards the men's quarters. Regardless. There was nowhere else she'd rather be.

.o0o.

_**~Snow is really magical~**_

_**(Note: Holy crap guys! Thanks so much for your responses! They've all been a big help! I'll do my best to act on it all. I hope to hear more going forward.**_

_**Btw, small thing, once this is over or winding down at least, I wanna write a long term story a la This Bites! Doesn't mean much, just an ambition I have.)**_


	9. The 9th Night

_**~After the Battle~**_

.o0o.

Alabasta had a truly magnificent sunset. The way the sun drifted lazily towards the western horizon, slowly setting it on fire as its light reflected off of the gold, and red sands of the desert was one of the treasures of the world. Nami could have watched it for days. Correction; Nami had watched it for days. Everyday since the end of the battle with Crocodile and Baroque Works, she has sat in the palace infirmary watching it take place. The hospital wing of the palace at Alubarna was positioned just perfectly to see the sun fall, framed by a pair of sculpted, marble pillars at the furthest end of the room. Honestly, Nami would never get bored of it.

Of course, the day's sunset had been hours ago. The temperature had dropped, and a beautifully waxing moon hung, gracefully in the sky. Nami herself now sat bedside reading by candlelight, learning about Alabasta's geography and topology.

It had been a week since Baroque Works fell, and Alabasta was saved. Yet, Nami remembered the events clear as day. From meeting Ace in Nanohana, and escaping from a fleet of Billions, to Yuba and meeting old man Toto, to Rainbase and confronting Crocodile, then finally to Alubarna and facing down Baroque Works for the last time. It was the longest three days of Nami's life. So much happened in so little time, but the days that followed fell away like so much water through her fingers.

Nami pushed her reading glasses up her nose and turned a page. It was freezing tonight - colder than the night after leaving Drum, it seemed. Luckily, she'd been provided with the fluffiest cotton dressing gown to keep her cozy on nights like these. She could get used to living in a palace.

It had taken Nami a couple days to recover. Thankfully, most of her injuries were clean puncture wounds that were stitched up pretty easy. What kept her out of commission longest was plain exhaustion, and so after three days of bed rest, Nami was as good as new. Thankfully, almost everyone else was up about not long after as well. Almost everyone. Zoro was still injured but, much to Chopper's irritation, he was back to training as soon as he could move, with no regard for tearing open his wounds. Honestly, that man's insistence on _not_ letting himself heal was going to come back and bite him in the ass, and the rest of the crew by proxy. He was absolutely hopeless.

The only other out of commission crew member was Luffy. According to Vivi's father, Cobra, after defeating Crocodile, and being given an antidote for the Warlord's poison, her captain carried both the King and Miss All Sunday out of the Tomb of Kings to safety, then promptly collapsed, unconscious. That had been a week ago. He was still out. Nami sighed. She replaced the book mark and closed the book, then placed it on the bedside table. She'd been staring at it blankly for the last ten minute, not really taking anything in. There was just a lot on her mind.

Nami looked down at the comatose man laid out beside her.

Luffy _looked_ fine. His breathing was clear and even, and all his injuries were either; cleanly bandaged, or already healed. Apparently, the worst of it was a stab wound on his chest that he'd gotten from Crocodile outside Yuba, and it would leave a small, pale scar at worst. Everything else was a mix of internal damage, extreme dehydration, and exhaustion. Not much they could do but wait.

Nami reached over and gently brushed away a strand of hair from her captain's forehead. He didn't react.

She couldn't help but wonder if she should be worried for Luffy at this point. Seven days was a long time to be unconscious. The doctors, Chopper included, put him on a drip to rehydrate him and keep him that way, but surely his muscles would start to atrophy, and going so long without food when suffering from extreme exhaustion could not a good combination. Especially for a glutton like Luffy. Despite this, Nami wasn't concerned at all. The crew had been reassured he'd be fine, and any issues that became apparent upon his waking up would be dealt with then, so there were no problems on that front. She didn't even feel that irrational fear that one would expect when seeing their best friend laid out for days on end. Nami didn't feel any of that.

Instead, she felt pride.

Pride in her captain. Pride in her fellow crewmates. Pride in _herself_.

They had done it. They faced down a Royal Warlord and his crew, and _won_. They all did. It felt like a milestone that one day they'd look back on and realise how significant it was. A small smile spread across Nami's face as she basked in the warmth of the feeling. Why wouldn't she?

Usopp and Chopper took down a pair of high ranking numbered agents with freaky devil fruit powers, and their dog. Zoro took down the _highest_ ranked agent outside of Crocodile himself, gaining the ability to cut steel in the process. Nami herself had taken down Mr. 1's partner on her own! Thankfully giving Luffy his requested demonstration of her completed weapon meant she had to look through the manual Usopp gave her, meaning Nami was a bit more prepared for the Clima-tact's more… eccentric capabilities. Didn't stop her getting almost clobbered though.

Then Luffy, moronic, clueless, bumblefuck that he was, beat a _Warlord_. Not a self-proclaimed warlord. An actual member of one of the ocean's three great powers. _That_ warlord. It was crazy to think about. It could have been a fluke, really. Crocodile didn't seem to be taking them all that seriously for the longest time. Just playing with them while working his plan towards fruition. But then again, they weren't the ones rotting in a jail cell.

The first major hurdle had been toppled. Now, it would serve as precedent for anything to come after.

Nami's smile threatened to break out into a full on grin, but she held back. Instead she just looked down at her captain with a growing feeling of affection. He was such a dumbass. Her dumbass. She reach out once more and stroked the back of her hand down his cheek…

Wait… was that?

Did Luffy have stubble!?

"Pfft" Nami snorted, "I am soo teasing you about this first chance I get."

The night before they landed in Nanohana, Nami ribbed Luffy for being so baby-faced. He, of course, took exception to that, claiming that he _could_ grow a beard, he just didn't _want_ to. Nami then asked him if how often he shaved. The delightful shade of pink Luffy turned as he told her "_Twice a day."_ was an image that she would treasure till the day she died.

"Oh, you're up too."

Nami spun in her set so fast she nearly fell out of it. A shadowed figure stood in the doorway to the infirmary. Slowly they began to walk towards Nami

It was Vivi.

The princess was in a similar state of dress as Nami; pajamas covered in a fluffy cotton nightgown.

"You couldn't sleep either?" Vivi asked, taking a chair to sit on.

"Something like that." Nami said with a nonchalant shrug. It was more a case of she'd just gotten used to staying up late with Luffy, "What's got you up?"

"Oh, you know…" Vivi chuckled nervously. The princess looked out the window above Luffy's bed, "Stuff."

Nami caught on immediately, "You've made your decision, haven't you."

Vivi flinched like she'd be struck. Her eyes were closed tight and her teeth gritted. She looked like she was expecting to _actually _be hit.

"You want to stay." it wasn't a question.

"I do." Vivi whispered.

Silence hung over them like a shadow.

"Okay." Nami said. She wouldn't question her friend's decision. It wasn't her place.

"You're sure?" Vivi sounded hesitant, almost taken aback.

"Why are you so nervous?" Nami said with a laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood, "It's not like we're gonna shout at you, or force you to come with us."

The princess chuckled lightly, "I know," she said, "I just… I wasn't expecting to have to tell you so soon. I wasn't exactly prepared."

"Don't worry about it, Vivi," Nami smiled at her friend. She was such a good soul. "I promise, I won't tell anyone else."

"Thank you, Nami."

As hopeful as Nami was that Vivi would join the crew, she wasn't surprised that she wouldn't be. After all, everything Vivi did these last two years was all for her country, to ask her to leave after just getting back would be nothing short of cruel. Still, it didn't mean Nami wouldn't miss her. Vivi had been a part of the crew for months now, so for her to leave, as understandable as it was, would be a big blow.

One thing was for sure. Vivi would always be a Straw Hat.

Nami felt Vivi grab her hand. She looked up to meet her friend's gaze. Tears were beginning to shine in the princess's eyes.

"I-I'm gonna miss you guys." Vivi said, her lower lip pushed up as she fought against to cry outright.

The familiar stinging sensation began to build in Nami's sinuses. She pulled her hand out from under Vivi's and dragged the poor girl into a tight embrace.

"We'll miss you, too." Nami whispered in her ear.

It took a second for Vivi to react. Slowly she wrapped her arms around Nami's waist, gripping at her nightgown, and buried her face into the navigator's shoulder. Nami, with her arms around Vivi's neck put one hand on her head and the other across her shoulders. They stood in silence.

The princess gently wept, letting the sadness at the thought of having to leave her friends fall freely. Nami gently rocked side to side, trying to offer as much comfort as she could. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she would not cry. They would see Vivi again, and she would always be one of them.

They stayed like that for several minutes, allowing Vivi the chance to calm down. Finally when they pulled away from each other slightly, they could only laugh at the red rimmed eye the other sported.

"I think I needed that." Vivi said, sounding relieved.

"Haha, I know what you mean," Nami replied, "Best to get out of your system."

"Oh, most def-def-" Vivi yawned loudly, "Definitely."

"Looks like it's past the little princess's bedtime." Nami teased.

"You might be right," Vivi admitted, cheeks a rosy pink, "It's kind of embarrassing, I only just got here."

"Eh, you got what was keeping up out of your system," Nami said with a shrug, "Come on, let's get you to bed." she leaned over to the bedside table and blew out the candle. She'd get her book in the morning.

Nami took off her glasses and stored them in her nightgown pocket, then offered an arm to Vivi, who took it gladly. They left the infirmary feeling light, and sleepy. Nami cast one last look over her shoulder towards her sleeping captain. Hopefully he'd wake up soon.

All these late nights by herself were getting lonely.

.o0o.

_**~The 9th Night~**_

It had been too long since they'd been at sea. Nami never realised how much she liked the gentle rocking of the ship underfoot, or the smell of sea salt in the air until she went without it for two weeks. It was like being home again. The ominous cloud that was Alabasta which had laid constantly on the horizon had finally passed overhead, lifting a weight that had slowly been building on the crew's shoulders for more than a month. Only to be immediately be replaced by the gloom of Vivi leaving.

The princess had made her announcement that she wouldn't be joining them out at sea as the Straw Hats made to leave Alabasta, even blowing off her own welcome home party to do so. Given the presence of the Marines, they couldn't even acknowledge her, lest she be painted with the same brush. So, in a show of solidarity and friendship, they all displayed the mark they'd given themselves to counteract Mr. 2's ability. There was not a dry eye aboard the Going Merry. Except Zoro. Heartless bastard.

Then Mr. 2 himself showed up, and having apparently formed a strong bond of friendship with Luffy, willingly threw himself and his crew at the Marines so they could escape. Which was a thing that happened. Nami was still trying to figure that one out.

The whole day had been a mix of melancholy and weird. Nami wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it. At least they got a new crew member out it. Well, it was currently a fifty-fifty chance of said crew member killing them all in their sleep, but it was another woman, so there was that.

Nami shook her head. She was just glad it was over with, and everything had settled down at last. With everyone finally in bed and asleep, she could finally go and meet Luffy on deck. Nami would have joined him earlier, but the irrational part of her brain didn't want their new crewmate to find out about their little get togethers. The woman had tried to kill them not two weeks ago. So Nami waited until Miss All Sun-err Nico Robin was asleep before heading out. Even in bed that woman was terrifying. She looked like a corpse when asleep, what with how still she was. Nami would have checked her pulse, was she not sure if Robin would wake up and stab for trying.

Opening the door to the deck, Nami was greeted with the cool sea breeze. Luffy was already outside, sitting on his favourite seat atop Merry's head. He sat with his shoulders pulled back and his back straight. He was looking directly out over the horizon. Luffy was in a good mood at least. Then again, when wasn't he?

Maybe Nami could sneak up on him again. That would be a laugh. Though she decided against it. If she snuck up on him too much he might start expecting it all the time and it would lose its luster. Next time, however, was a different matter…

Approaching the bow of the ship, Nami leaned against the railing. If Luffy noticed her he didn't act on it.

"Evening, captain," she greeted happily, looking out over the same clear horizon as him.

Luffy glanced down at her, "Oh, you're up too." Nami wondered why he even bothered with that anymore. It wasn't like it was weird to see her up or anything. Must have just been habit.

"As are you." she replied easily.

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Nami broke it,

"It's been a while," she started, "Since we did this."

"Mhm," Luffy agreed, "I missed it."

Nami tutted lightly, "Idiot, you were out for what, ten days-?"

"Thirty meals." he cut in.

"Right. It wasn't nearly as long for you."

Her captain shrugged, "Doesn't matter, I still missed it. I like talking to you." he said, very matter-of-fact.

Warmth flooded Nami's chest. She beamed up at Luffy. Stupid crush, "Good, otherwise I'd be offended, and go hang out with Sanji." she teased, "With him I know my presence is appreciated."

Much to her surprise, Luffy shot her a look of complete betrayal. His eyes as wide as dinner plates and jaw swinging low, "Bu-but I do appreciate you!" he exclaimed.

Where did this come from? Was he upset at the thought that he didn't appreciate her being around? Must have been, because the alternative was him being jealous of her spending time with Sanji, which would have been completely absurd!

"I know you do, idiot," she laughed, waving off Luffy's concern, "I'm just messing with you."

Luffy pouted and turned away from her to look back out to see, "Well good."

He was such an honest dolt. It had to be one of his best qualities if you asked Nami.

"But, a lot has happened since we've been out here, huh?" Nami said, resting her chin on the heel on her hand.

"Oh yeah," Luffy agreed, breaking out in a wide grin, "You got to meet Ace!"

"I did," Nami nodded, smiling back, "He's nothing like you, you know?"

"Oh?"

"Mhm, he's so much more polite than you!" she said with a laugh. Luffy pulled another face at her and stuck out his tongue childishly, much to her continued amusement, "But, you didn't tell me he was apart of such a notorious pirate crew! Zoro looked downright scared that we might have to face him." Zoro being scared of _anyone _was generally not a good sign.

"Shishishi, I had no idea either! Beside, you guys woulda been fine!" Luffy chucked, "Ace is a big softy, really."

As reassuring as his vote of confidence was, Nami highly doubted they could take on a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, regardless of his softness..

"Ace actually had to take lessons on being nice, you know!" Luffy laughed.

Nami could have guessed Ace probably wasn't always so polite, given he was raised with Luffy, but to go as far as taking lessons? The imagine of Ace and Luffy as kids sitting behind a desk, in front of a blackboard with the words 'SAY THANK YOU!' carved on to it popped into her mind.

"Pfft!" she snorted like the graceful woman she was, "I'd have loved to have seen that!"

"Shishishi, it was pretty funny." Luffy agreed, "I hope we get to see him again some time. I'd like to meet this Whitebeard guy. He must be super strong if Ace calls him 'pops'"

"I'd like that too," Nami said, "But, it's kinda scary that there are people out there so strong that guys like Ace follow them." The memory of Ace casually destroying five galleons with a single attack came to mind.

"It's really exciting, isn't it!" her captain sounded far too giddy for her liking, "I can't wait to fight someone like that!"

Nami gave an exaggerated roll of the eyes, "That'll be the day."

She had no doubt he could do it, just that, _realistically_, it was a longs ways off.

They tailed off into silence. Nami watched as Luffy swayed side to side, probably imagining a big fight between himself and super strong pirate like Whitebeard or something. Normally, she'd be far more pessimistic about something like this, but Nami found herself believing that, someday, Luffy would be able to stand amongst, if not above the greatest pirates ever. He was going to be Pirate King after all. She'd personally make sure of it, if needs be.

"Hey, Nami?"

"Yeah?" She looked up at Luffy, who had shifted in his spot so he was facing her.

"I know she gave you money and all," he said, "But what do you think of Robin?"

Nami raised an eyebrow. What did she think of Robin? "Well, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. From what I remember she saved your life more than once, even while working for Crocodile. Besides, those jewels she gave me are worth a _lot._" say what you will about the bastard, but Crocodile had a good eye for rocks, "_But_, I'm wary of her. She was an enemy of ours not long ago. If Robin tries anything I won't try to stop anything that happens afterwards.

Her words grew cold and harsh as she spoke, but Nami stood by them. She stared Luffy dead in the eye as she spoke, driving the point home. Nami was all for second chances, she was on her own after all, but she would not let her guard down around a woman as dangerous a Nico Robin until she'd proven herself trustworthy, tithes of jewelry or not. Her friends and Luffy were more important.

Luffy held her gaze without blinking. His face was blank of emotion. It was times like this when Nami couldn't help but wonder what went on in her captain's head. Of course, he always ended speaking his mind on whatever he was considering, but the process of how he got to it always seemed a mystery to Nami. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that empty head of his.

"That's fair." Luffy declared happily, "I'm happy you're giving her a chance, she seems really cool and smart."

Well, Robin did mention she became an archaeologist at eight, or something. Nami was smart. Robin was beyond such mere words, if she was to be believed.

"Yeah, she does," Nami said, smirk spreading on her face, "Maybe she can finally teach you to read!"

"Hey! That's mean!" Luffy whined, "And I do know how to read! Makino taught me."

"And I'm sure she did her best." Nami replied with a casual shrug.

"Naaaamiii! Why can't you be nice!" Luffy's shoulders slumped as he looked completely dejected. Damn him! Now he was making her feel bad.

"Fine, fine you can read." Nami said with mock reluctance, "But I swear, if you ruin one more game of Eye-Spy because you don't know how to spell a word, I will have Robin tutor you for a month." she paused, remembering something important, "I'm also getting Sanji to teach you to shave, seeing as you are _finally_ growing facial hair."

"H-hey!" he stutter, "That's just not fair, I don't get to make fun of your hairy legs!"

A vein popped up on Nami's forehead. Without warning she leapt up and pummeled Luffy's head several times. A stack of large bumps rose from Luffy's skull.

"I DON'T HAVE HAIRY LEGS, ASSHOLE!" she yelled, fighting back the urge to throw him overboard.

"I'm sorry!" Luffy said, cowering pathetically at her angry visage.

Luffy recovered quickly however and his eyes lit up with excitement, "Oh! Speaking of tutoring!" he said, leaning forward eagerly, "We haven't been able to train together yet."

Nami cringed immediately, dropping her anger. He was right, they hadn't. With how long it took Usopp to finish the clima-tact, they only had enough time for Nami to read over the manual and give Luffy a demo of its capabilities, before they butted heads with Baroque Works.

"Y-yeah, you're right." Nami said, this time _very_ reluctantly, "Maybe we should-"

"We can start tomorrow!" Luffy cut in, seemly too caught up in his own world to notice her hesitation, "Usopp found me a pipe I can use! It looks just like my old one, so it's perfect. What do you say?"

Nami swallowed audibly. Once more her imagination ran wild with all the crazy ideas of training Luffy might have for her. Her head dropped. This would only end poorly for her…

No. She needed to get stronger. That line of thinking would only make things worse! The promise she made to Luffy after they left Drum echoed through her mind.

"_That's how I want to repay you. By getting strong enough that you never have to worry about helping me ever again."_

That was what she wanted. Her heart ached at the thought of not being able to fight alongside Luffy. Sure, she was just a regular human, she could only do so much, but if didn't even _try_ what right did she have to complain about being weak. Here was her captain - the strongest on their crew - offering to help her train! Not only that, but apparently, he was good with a Bo staff too! If Nami were to back down out of fear of being hurt, she may as well just give up her position on the crew. She'd not only be going back on her word, but proving to herself that Luffy risking his life for her was all for naught.

Nami wouldn't have that. She would not not be able to look her captain in the eye.

She looked up only to meet Luffy's gaze. He was waiting patiently for her to reply. The look on his face was eager, earnest and serene, like the only thing happening in the world right now was this very moment. Like she was the only person in the world. It was almost distracting. Nami couldn't help but feel like he _knew_ what was going on in her head, trusting that she'd take his offer to back up her promise, and for his trust to be repaid.

Steeling herself, Nami nodded, determined, "Yeah. Let's do it!"

"YEAH!" Luffy threw his hands up in the air so hard the momentum almost threw him off Merry's head. Thankfully he caught himself before falling overboard. "It's been so long since I trained properly!" he flinched as if struck, "Don't tell Ace or gramps I said that." he stage whispered at her.

Nami just laughed, relief flowing through her, "Don't worry I won't." she said with a hand wave.

How much this training would help, depended on how much of it they could get done, and how hard Luffy decided to go on her. Regards of that however, it _would_ make Nami improve. Either from the training itself, or just simply getting better with he clima-tact. Who knew, maybe working with someone so far ahead of her meant that when finally facing someone around her level Nami would be able to handle it better. She could only hope.

Alabasta had been a massive hurdle for all of them, but Nami wouldn't - no, _couldn't_ \- forget they were only at the base of the hill. They still had all of the Grand Line ahead of them. She needed to work to keep up with those around her, and if they added more crew members on the level of Nico Robin, she'd fall behind even further.

Nami looked back out to sea, with Luffy animatedly chatting away about everything that came to his mind. These night time breaks were nice. A time to relax from the usual insanity that was the Straw Hat Pirates. Not to mention spending time with the object of her affections. Not that he knew, or that she'd admit. But, soon the time to relax would be over, and the real work would begin. Nami grinned.

_She couldn't wait._

.o0o.

_**~Their promises are made to be kept.~**_

_**(Note: Wow! Last chapter did really well! I'm so happy you all liked it so! I hope this one is up to par. I kinda wanted to play with the structure a little, just so things don't get too stale. Also, I wanna just reconfirm for some, This will be story will be updated, **__**roughly**__**, once per week. Some times, some times less. **_

_**For the persons who asked about the Happiness Punch. It'll be a thing, it just wasn't relevant just yet.**_

_**A question for those who write; What time, or situation (take that how you will), do you find you write best? For me it's between 9pm and 2am between games on MTG:A.**_

_**Sorry for the long AN, it's just gotten away from me a little. I'll be keeping it shorter going forwards**_

_**Next chapter will be after Skypiea!)**_


	10. The 10th Night

_**~The 10th Night~**_

.o0o.

So sky islands were a _thing_. Nami banged her forehead on her desk with a thud. A completely logical, and reasonable _thing_ that any sane person from one of the blues would absolutely be able to predict being a _thing_. Thud. Fucking Grand Line and it's bullshit geography. There were a completely unknown amount of these _things_ around the world. Thud. When Nami took on her dream to chart the world, sky islands weren't even on the list of things she considered, thus their existence made achieving her dream that much harder. Thud.

Sure, Nami knew making a world map wouldn't be easy, otherwise it would have done already, but with the introduction of the sky islands, it just got so much harder. Of course, when she was up in Skypiea it never even occurred to her. The fact it _existed_ at all was a pretty massive thing. Nami was understandably distracted by it all. From the angel people, to the nut job with a god complex, to the absolute metric fuck ton of gold that she basically had been given dibs on. Nami eyed the pile of gold that tumbled out from her over stuffed treasure chest.

Very distracted indeed.

However, now that she was back on the blue seas, Nami realised her conundrum. How many other sky islands were there? How did you get to them? Skypiea had the knock-up Stream, but from the way Cricket talked about it, it was almost completely unique. It did explain why no one ever thought it existed before. So how was Nami to map the world if she couldn't even access parts of it!?

The obvious answer was simply; 'don't bother'. No one would notice if she didn't include the mythical islands that only a handful of people even knew about, so why go to the effort? Especially if she couldn't even get to them. Nami frantically ran her hands through her hair, with a frustrated groan.

Because she wasn't a damned cop-out, that's why!

When decided she wanted to map the whole world, she meant _all _of it. Not some of it. Not most of it. Not nine tenths of it. She wanted ALL of it. Nami wasn't about to let some stupid, mythical islands stop her achieving her dream. Luffy would ashamed of her if she did! Well… he wouldn't, but it was the principle of the matter! She wouldn't give up!

Nami picked up her notebook of reference points for Skypiea and flicked through its pages. Due to countless hours of practice she could memorize geographical features to be recorded later. A pretty useful skill. Despite only being there for two days, Nami got more than a good enough look at the island, Upper Yard and all. Now all those points were written down and waiting to be drawn into a chart. It was a process Nami had literally mastered.

Though, if one were to judge her cartography skills by the amount of crumpled up rolls of paper littered over the woman's quarters, they'd think she was a novice.

A fresh page lay on her desk, staring up at her innocently, it knew not of Nami's current plight, it was but a bystander. Yet, to Nami, it mocked her. It's crisp whiteness taunted her. Images of all her failed attempts clouded her minds eye. Simple, amateur mistakes caused by uncontrolled daydreaming and a want to doodle. It was infuriating. Nami glared hatefully at the paper, willing it to combust.

It was horrible. Once dinner had finished, Nami went to set about her passion as she had done everyday possible since becoming a full fledged member of the crew. Filled with a bright, burning determination, fuelled by the discovery of Skypiea. Only to end up daydreaming and scribbling in the middle of the page. Nami wanted to scream! But everyone was upstairs playing games, and in a rare sign of openness, Robin had even joined in. She didn't want to ruin that for them. So she settled for throwing her notebook onto the table before dropping her head into her arms to stifle her groan of frustration.

"I see you're still up, Miss Navigator. Everything going well?"

Speak of the devil. Nami didn't even look up to see Robin descend the stairs, she could already see the amused smirk on the woman's face. So like the grown adult she was, Nami flipped Robin off. Robin just chuckled.

A rustle from behind her told Nami that Robin had picked up one of the crumbled charts. She buried her face further into her arms.

"My, what happened here?" Robin said, her voice full of mirth, "You're usually so professional with your work."

Nami lifter her head and shot the archaeologist a glare, "Shouldn't you be playing games with the children?"

Robin didn't even look up from the paper, "We just finished." she said casually, "Has the Captain always been so bad at card games?"

"Yeah, why? What were you playing playing?"

"Poker."

Nami almost choked on nothing, "I'm sorry, I think I misheard you. You played poker… with Luffy."

"Mhm."

"How bad was it?"

"It took five rounds before he realised he wasn't supposed to call out every card he was given."

Nami laughed at that, her previous sour mood lifting. What a dork.

"By that point he had already lost on round three. He just didn't realise, and nobody told him to see how long it'd take for him to figure it out." Robin had put the paper down and was now sitting on the sofa, leaning forward, chin resting on the palm of her hand.

Luffy was an idiot. What else was new.

"Aww, I'm sorry I missed it."

"You would have. It was quite profitable." Robin said, reaching down her shirt to pull out a sizable wad of beris.

Wait, how did any of them have money? Nami was sure she'd run all of them into _at least_ ten years of debt.

"Money? When did they get money to bet with?" Nami's eyes narrowed. She counted the money on the ship at least twice a day. Once to see if it was all accounted for, and twice for personal pleasure.

Robin reclined back into the sofa, counting her winnings, looking the very definition of casual, "Apparently, they had been spiriting away any spare change they could find for quite some time now. Even the Captain had a couple hundred beris saved up."

Luffy? Sneaking… anything? That wasn't right. Like someone had divided by zero.

"But how did he-"

"Do it?" Robin intercepted, "According to him, you never ask."

That… son of a bitch. It was a law of nature that Luffy couldn't lie. Any time words left that rubbery gob of his it was only ever the truth as he perceived it. There was no way around it. Nami realised early on to not both shaking Luffy down for debt money, and just take a small amount from whatever loot they got. He was captain of the ship after all. Apparently, he'd figured that out, then decided to take advantage of that fact by just keeping any money he found, and so long as she never asked, he was in the clear.

Nami didn't know whether to be proud of him, or pissed at being shirked out of money.

Both was good.

"Damn him." Nami muttered.

Money counted, Robin replaced it back in her shirt and leaned forward once more, "It seems our Captain is a bit trickier than originally thought." she chucked again.

Nami liked Robin. She thought of the woman as a good friend, or older sister figure, if a little detached. So why was it that every time she laughed it seemed so creepy? Like 'someone walking over her grave' creepy.

Robin gestured once more to the crumpled paper, spread out on the coffee table in front of her, "So, would you like to explain this." She rested her chin back on her hand, with a soft smile. It was the look Robin had when she had already figured something out, but wanted to see it explained anyway.

Her smug aura mocked Nami.

Feeling her eye twitch, Nami took a deep breath, preparing for the rant to come,

"It keeps happening!" She complained, "I have no control over it! Like, I settle down, start drawing, then as I get into it, my mind wanders and then I end up doing _that_." she waved her hand in the offending paper's direction, "It's happened too many times, it's driving me up the wall."

Robin nodded along as Nami spoke, looking around at all the other balls of paper littered on the floor, "I see." she said when Nami finished, "I think you might be overreacting a little."

"Oh?" Nami said, skeptically. She felt pretty justified.

"Well, for one, there's only three pieces of paper, including this one in front of me."

Only three? Nami blinked. She could have sworn it was more like… fifteen. She craned her neck around to try and count. One, two… three. Definitely three.

"Okay, so maybe it's not so bad on that front." Nami admitted, wanting to brush over it a fast as possible, "What time is it now?"

"About 11pm."

God, Nami used to go to bed at this time, "I've been here since dinner, and this is all I have done. I'm not used to being this unproductive!" she complained.

"You shouldn't worry, Miss Navigator, everybody has days when they don't feel like working. Best not to force it, lest you burn yourself out." Robin explained in a tone that was probably meant to be comforting, but came across more, amused than anything else. It was sound advice nonetheless.

"However," Robin began, her smile becoming ominous, "I was asking more about the contents of your 'drawings'."

"Oh." Was all Nami could say.

"I must say, Miss Navigator," Robin said as she picked up the sheet, "When I imagined the art you might produce, I never imagined it would involve so many stick figures holding hands, or little hearts for that matter."

Nami felt her ears burn with every word that came out of the woman's mouth. The desire for the bottom of the ship open up and let her drown was becoming stronger and stronger. Still, Nami kept her head high, determined to let her embarrassment show as little as possible.

Then, as if to try and make the situation worse, Robin leaned over and picked up another piece, and unfolded it. Her eyes lit up like it was christmas day.

"Miss Navigator!" Robin gasped, her voice full of mock scandal, "I didn't know you had such strong feelings for the Captain!"

A critical blow had been struck! Nami felt her determination crumple like an empty beer can, and she cringed hard.

"I've got a crush on Luffy, what of it." She admitted through clenched teeth.

Robin giggled, "Is he aware of this?"

"No!" Nami snapped quickly, "And I'll kill anyone who tells him!"

"How scary." Robin said not looking very intimidated, "How long have you felt like this, if you don't mind me asking?" She looked like she was having a lot of fun.

"A couple months, just after we got on to the Grand Line." Nami replied with a reluctant sigh. As embarrassing as it may have been to talk about, Nami did want to talk about it. She and Vivi only spoke of it occasionally, but never for long. Robin was now a fixture of the crew, and had proven herself a friend time and again, so was the best option, "It's just a stupid crush. It'll fade."

"I see," Robin said, now looking focused and intent, "Have you ever fancied anyone before?"

"Hah! I've never had the chance." Nami said. She shifted her position so she was now straddling her chair to face Robin, "The only people I got near past the age of ten were people I was trying to rob, and the bastards holding my village hostage. Not much time to get close to anyone."

Robin gave her a sympathetic look, "Understandable. If I remember correctly, Luffy saved you from that didn't he?"

This was starting to feel a little like a therapy session. Nami expected Robin to pull out a notebook and pen at any moment.

"He did. Dumbass doesn't even know about any of the background." Nami said with a sigh, "As far as he was concerned, I was his friend and navigator, and Arlong was making me upset, along with keeping me from joining this crew. The biggest part though, was that he respected it was _my_ problem. Luffy didn't do anything until I asked him for help." The memory of Luffy placing his treasure on her head was one Nami held near and dear to her heart.

"It is certainly one of his more admirable traits." Robin agreed, "What else is there that makes you _like_ him?"

"I dunno, lots of things," Nami began, "The fact I'm completely comfortable with him, is one. It's not that I'm not comfortable around the other guys, it's just with Luffy, there's no need for a social bubble, if that makes sense," Robin nodded to show she understood, "I never feel the need to put any space between us."

"He's my best friend, and I can talk to him about just about anything. Sure, there's some things I don't talk about, but if they ever came up, or I felt the need, I could, and he'd listen. Vice versa as well, really. He's just such a solid figure in my life. Like, no matter how bad things may look, knowing he's with me, gives me the strength to overcome, as selfish as that sounds." Nami lay her arms over the top of the chair, and rested her chin on top of them, "I could probably go on for ages about stuff I like about him, but I think you get the point."

By the time she finished, Robin was looking at her with an unreadable expression. Blank, yet intense. Her eyes looked like they were trying to pierce Nami's soul. They held each other's gaze for minutes, with passing second growing more, and more awkward for Nami. Finally Robin blinked, and gave her a genuine smile.

"Well, Miss Navigator," she said, awfully cheery, "I think I've figured it out."

Nami raised an eyebrow at her, "Figured what out?"

"Not so much figured out - as I always had an idea - more come to my conclusion."

"Just spit it out already."

"You're in love."

Nami's brain stalled. Gears grinded in her mind, desperately trying to kick start it.

"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you again, could you repeat that?" Nami said with a polite laugh. She had to have misheard her. There's no way that's what she said. It couldn't be.

"I said you're in love." Robin said, speaking very clearly, leaving no room for interpretation, "With the Captain."

Was she joking? Robin rarely told jokes. Any time she did it was always something gross, horrifying, or grossly horrifying. This could just be her twisted sense of humour.

"You're serious?" Nami asked.

Robin nodded, her smile not even twitching, "Deadly."

"On what grounds?" Nami was going to need a peer reviewed journal on this.

"Everything you've just told me, everything I've observed the past couple weeks, and how you've been acting very out of character tonight." The archaeologist stated calmly without missing a beat.

"I have not been out of character!"

Robin looked down at the paper on the table, "That so, Miss Navigator. Then I assume you normally draw little hearts with 'L+N' written in them?"

Okay, so maybe she was a little out of character. That didn't mean anything!

"That still doesn't prove anything!" Nami shot back.

"You're right. It doesn't." Robin said with a shrug, "It's just a conclusion that I've drawn based on what I've observed. Whether it's right or not, is something for you to figure out. However, I think that you already know the answer, and just don't want to admit it." the look she gave Nami was pointed enough to pierce a hole in the Navigator's side.

It felt like the wind had been knocked out of Nami's sails. Were she not already seated, she would probably have had to drop into one after that blow. It felt as if her mind was running a mile a minute, this entire conversation replaying over and over again, yet she was unable to process any of it. She was _in love_ with Luffy? That idiot? The same one that couldn't even spell the word 'eye'? There was no way. So what if he was kind, fun to be around, and genuinely cared for her as a person. He was her captain! Basically her boss! He was just so… so _Luffy_.

A small traitorous voice in the back of her whispered; '_What's so wrong with that?'_

While Nami sat lost in her own thoughts, Robin stood up with a stretch. A quick application of her powers and she handed herself a fresh towel and a set of pajamas, before heading for the stairs.

"I'm going to take a bath." She said without looking back at the navigator, "I convinced the boys to go to bed early, so the Captain is probably waiting for you, whenever you're ready."

Nami barely nodded to acknowledge the older woman as she stared off into the middle distance. Her mind was playing every instance she'd spent with Luffy since joining the crew. Picking out any and all moments that could be construed as 'romantic' in anyway. The night before Reverse Mountain, the night they made that one bet, definitely the night they were joined by Vivi, and the night after Drum in the snow all immediately came to mind. Each and every one began to fill Nami with a deep, chilling fear. Now, all of a sudden, _every_ memory was being tainted with the lens of romance.

Just a day or so ago, she had helped Luffy defeat Enel. Nami wasn't so modest as to reduce her role in securing the win, but it was Luffy's fight, yet he'd insisted on calling it 'their fight', going so far as to look upset when she corrected him. During that fight she had almost lost it. Facing down such a powerful logia user, with an ability like mantra was really intimidating for her, but Luffy knew how to help. He handed her his hat again, saying; "_You're a friend of the future pirate king. Stop worrying so much"_. As soon as she caught the hat, Nami found it in herself to toughen up, and face down the lunatic. It strong moment, that Nami was now finding new meaning in.

What if she was in love with Luffy?

The idea of it sent a shiver down her spine. What if it was more than a crush? The mere thought of the rubber man always made her smile. Nami wanted nothing more than to just see Luffy and have him pull her into a hug. If it was love… why was it scaring her?

Nami took a deep breath. She needed to stay calm. Yes, this was freaking her out, but it shouldn't be anything she couldn't handle. She needed to think this through. What was so scary about being in love with Luffy? Nami adjusted herself so she was facing back at her desk. Elbows rested on top of it, with fingers steepled.

It had to be because when she thought it just a simple crush, it was silly, childish, and temporary. Now, if _was_ love then it carried so much more weight. How did she deal with it moving forward? Go with it, or try to fight it back? It also begged the question; did Luffy, in any way, feel the same? Nami snorted to herself. Would he even know what she was on about? Then, if so, where did they go from there? They could pursue a relationship together, but they'd also have to take into consideration the rest of the crew. Sanji alone would be a whole can of worms, let alone everyone else. It was one of the main drawbacks of living on such a small ship. So much space was shared, privacy was never a given.

The biggest concern for Nami, and probably the one that scared her the most; what if it doesn't work out? Just because she likes him, and Luffy, hypothetically, likes her back, doesn't mean their relationship would work. It could be anything from an inability to compromise, to simply falling out of love. They could even end up resenting each other. It could ruin their professional relationship as captain and navigator on top of it all. It made Nami's stomach roll into knots. She couldn't bare the thought of Luffy holding any animosity for her, or vice versa. She lose her best friend.

That's what scared her most.

Nami dropped her forehead on to her steepled fingers. What should she do? She couldn't risk it. Too much was at stake. She'd just have to continue like nothing had changed. It was the simplest way to go forward. What about tonight? Luffy was waiting on her. Nami wanted to go out and meet him, but she was emotionally exhausted after this revelation. She doubted that she'd be able to hold a conversation for any period of time. A not so insignificant part of her wanted nothing more than to just call a rain check and crawl into bed.

No. She wouldn't let this affect her any more than it already had. Luffy was waiting for her. She wasn't going to let him down. Nami stood from her chair sharply enough to knock it over, and marched upstairs to the top deck. As soon as she made it to the door leading outside, Nami saw him.

Luffy was sitting cross-legged on the deck, rolling what looked to be a bottle of sake from side to side. His eyes followed it back and forth lazily. He looked incredibly bored. How long had he been sitting out there? Nami pulled the door open to greet him.

Before she could even get a word out Luffy's head shot up immediately, and he broke out into the widest grin as soon as he spotted her.

"Nami! What took you so long?" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet, bottle in hand.

Nami gave a mock huff and folded her arms under her chest, "What, do you want me to follow you around every second of the day?"

"Shishishi! I don't think that'd be so bad." He said without missing a beat.

Damn him. Damn his ability to say the most direct thing possibly.

"You okay?" Luffy asked, his brow creasing slightly, in concern, "You look, super pale. You're not getting sick again, are you?"

Of course he'd notice something was up.

"No, I'm fine." Nami insisted, waving it off, "I've just been working myself really hard today is all."

The crease deepened, "If you say so." Luffy said, not sounding too convinced.

"Where'd you get that?" Nami asked nodding towards the sake bottle, wanting to change the topic, "It doesn't look like anything we've got in the alcohol rack." It was un-opened for one.

"It's Zoro's." Luffy said, giving the bottle a little shake, "I found his secret stash, so I stole some."

Damn. Not even she'd managed to find Zoro's spare alcohol. Not that she'd drink of it, she couldn't get drunk after all. Good on Luffy for finding it.

"So, that's you're plan, eh Captain?" Nami said with a teasing smile as she walked towards him, "You're gonna get me drunk and have your way with me?"

"No, I just thought it'd be fun." Luffy said simply, "We've not shared a drink with just a the two of us before."

Nami couldn't tell if he didn't get it, or had just cleverly avoided it. That was a little worrying.

They went over and sat down side by side against Merry's mast. Luffy pulled out a pair of red sake cups from his pocket. He looked at them intently for a moment, like they meant something to him, before placing them down gently. Nami watched fascinated as he uncorked the bottle of sake and began to pour. The uncharacteristic care and attention he gave while doing so was something Nami never thought she'd see from her Captain. It was almost like a ritual for him.

With the drinks poured, Luffy re-corked the bottle and set it to the side. He picked up his cup and motioned for her to do the same. Nami complied. She had no idea what was going through his head with this, or why he was doing it, but it must be something special for him. Luffy was looking her intently, not saying a word. Even though she didn't know the meaning behind this, a small part of Nami hoped it was just for her.

They clinked their cups together in some unspoken toast and drank. The delightful burn of the alcohol warmed her throat against the cool, night air. Good to know Zoro was an alcoholic with good taste.

"...-orever." Luffy whispered to himself. It was so quiet Nami missed most of it. His face was somber.

"Did you say something, Luffy?" Nami asked, tilting her head slightly. She wasn't expecting much of an answer.

Luffy just blinked at her, then grinned, "Oh, I was just hoping we'd be able to do this for a long time!"

Heat bloomed in Nami's chest, and it had nothing to do with the alcohol. A small hope took root inside of her, that maybe Luffy did feel the same for her, as she did for him. Maybe, she was a _little _in love with him...

Nami giggled at him, "You're being sappy, Luffy! Of course we will! No one could stop us if they tried." She reached across him and grabbed the bottle, "Come on, I wanna finished before the night is out."

The smile on Luffy's face was worth a hundred million beris. It was one of pure joy and delight. Nami wanted nothing more than to steal it away, just for herself. She'd brought this out of him and it made her happy to see it.

Maybe someday, she would get to keep it all for herself. But, that day was still a way off. Should it ever come, however, Nami thought, it would be so worth it.

.o0o.

_**~It's as easy as you make it~**_

_**(Note: I really had fun writing this 'cause we're getting to the chapters I've planned from the beginning! The ones that made me want to write this fic in the first place! Also, can you tell I'm a massive Robin fangirl?**_

_**Sorry if Nami is too OOC, I don't have much info on the girl's side of a crush, other than from what my sisters were like with theirs.**_

_**Next chapter is Water 7!)**_


	11. The 11th Night

_**~The 11th Night~**_

.o0o.

Nami lay on her hotel bed, listless. She stared at the ceiling of her room, inspecting every detail, yet not taking any of it in. The sun had gone down hours ago. She'd long since given up on trying to sleep. It just wasn't happening tonight. It sucked, seeing as she was absolutely exhausted. The unfamiliar bed felt hard, and cold, like laying on pavement. No matter how Nami shifted herself she couldn't get comfortable, so she settled for laying on her back. The loud and repetitive ticking of the wall mounted clock filled the room.

The day's events weighed heavily on her mind. So much had happened in so little time. All of it bad. Nami was struggling to come to terms with it all. Everything had been fine just a couple days ago. Sure, the crew was still recovering from Admiral Aokiji's beating at the time, but all was well. Then as soon as they hit Water 7 everything went wrong.

First, they found out about the Going Merry. Their beloved ship was dying. It was a crack in the keel, the shipwrights had informed them. It was irreparable. Sure, they could go on a bit farther with her, maybe a week at most, but then they would all be up shit creek without a paddle. It wasn't a choice. Water 7 was home to the best shipwrights in the world, and for Merry to have gotten them here was nothing short of a miracle. Nami never realised how much the Going Merry meant to them as a crew. She was their first ship, a gift from Usopp's home, a little bit of East Blue going with them wherever they went. The thought of saying goodbye to her was like giving all that up.

Then Usopp got mugged by a load of bastards called the Franky Family. They took the two hundred million beris he was carrying for ship repairs and left him for dead. Everyone had been livid. Thankfully they didn't do any lasting damage to Usopp, but he would be bandaged up for a few days. Luffy, Chopper, and Sanji found Franky House and tore it down in retaliation. Something they'd definitely have to deal with later, but that was on them. You do not hurt a Straw Hat and not expect immediate retribution.

A small smile tugged at Nami's lips. She'd been alone for eight years, but now with friends like them, she felt safe and happy. Long may it continue.

Nami rolled on to her side, now staring at the wall, that was filled with generic and bland landscape paintings. The staring at the roof got boring. What was meant to be Robin's bed lay empty between her and the wall. Completely untouched.

Robin was missing.

It was yet another disaster in this absolute failure of a day. They had no idea when Robin actually disappeared, as the whole crew was out doing their own shopping for most of the day. But it was after Usopp had been attacked that they realised something was up. They decided to trust her. She'd be back before long. They were her friends after all. But she never returned. She wasn't there to find Usopp, for Luffy's final decision on Merry's fate, or what came after…

Nami curled up into the fetal position fighting back tears that threatened to spill. Barely three hours ago she watched between the brutal confrontation between Luffy and Usopp to see who would take the Going Merry. For Nami it had been downright horrific to watch. To see such close friends fight, one doing so reluctantly, and the other giving everything he had despite knowing it was pointless.

Usopp had taken the news of Merry's fate the hardest out of all of them. It made sense, seeing as it was a gift from Kaya. He was the one most vocal with Luffy, trying to convince him to have her repaired, as opposed to replaced. Luffy had sided with him, originally. However, as soon as it became apparent that the damage was permanent, as Captain, Luffy made the decision to look for a new ship. To say Usopp took umbrage with that would be an understatement. They got into an argument, with Usopp slinging horrible accusations at Luffy about abandoning crewmates when they fell behind. How he could say something like that, Nami didn't know.

It quickly came to blows after that. The rest of the crew present managed to pull Luffy off Usopp, and tried to talk sense into both of them, but to no avail. That's when Usopp had had enough. He walked out of the Merry, declaring that he was leaving the crew. It was a gut punch to everyone. He meant it too. It wasn't like when Nami 'left' as she never considered herself part of the crew to begin with. With Usopp, the weight behind it was immense because no one saw it coming.

They were all left shell shocked, Nami - to her great shame - wanted to drag Luffy and get him to apologise. It completely going over her head what she was doing. Nami thumped the bed she lay on in a vain attempt to release some frustration. She'd gone against Luffy, her Captain. Usopp was the one in the wrong, she knew that, yet she still tried to drag _Luffy_ to apologise. She was such an idiot.

Who knew what Luffy was feeling right about now. He was the one who had to fight Usopp. The one who had to make the decision on Merry. The one whose world seemed like it was gonna fall…

That was probably exaggeration, but it didn't mean it didn't feel like it. Nothing had gone right since they arrived on top of all the hard decisions he's had to make. Not so much for the decisions being hard - Luffy's faced many before and tackled them effortlessly - more for the kind of decisions they are. The results of which basically involved leaving two close friends behind.

That was Luffy's biggest fear. Being alone. Luffy had mentioned to her that he didn't like being alone, but that it was never a problem now because he had his crew. Yet here, with one falling behind, and the other walking out on them, Nami wouldn't blame him for feeling like it was beginning to slip away.

Luffy hadn't been the same since he fought Usopp. He was quiet, and reserved. Didn't speak to anyone, and just disappeared after they got back to the hotel. He didn't go to bed, he walked right past the room he shared with Zoro.

Wherever he was, he was probably by himself.

Nami thumped her bed again, this time using the hit to push herself up. She needed to find Luffy. Right now, he was suffering more than anyone, and by himself. She had no idea of how he'd deal with something like this, but given what she'd seen so far, as well as knowing him like she did, it was likely not very well.

Shooting to her feet, Nami rushed out the door. She needed to find him. The last thing Luffy needed right now was alone time. She'd already failed him once today, she would not do it again.

The roof was the most likely place for him to be. Outdoors, open air, and a salty breeze, were all things Luffy would most likely want right about now. Unfortunately, Nami's hurry to get to him was killed almost immediately by the fact that the lights in the hall had been turned off for the night. It certainly wasn't helped by the fact that the hall had no outside windows. She barely even know which direction to go with the lights on! So with one hand on the wall, Nami slowly but surely made her way to the stairs.

It would probably take a while. She was on the third of eight floors.

Ever since they left Skypiea, - and Nami had her little revelation - she and Luffy had been spending a lot more time together. Granted most of it was training, but still.

Turns out Luffy wasn't the hellish drill sergeant she feared he'd be. Instead, he was a relentless Taskmaster. His training was simple; Luffy would give her an objective - land 'x' amount of hits, or not get hit for a set amount of time - and they wouldn't stop until either she completed it, or couldn't continue. Easy enough on paper. Except for that fact that Luffy would fight back.

Boy, did he fight back.

While Nami doubted he was going all out when they sparred, Luffy was hardly going easy on her either. She'd been beaten black and blue more than enough to prove that. Something Sanji was not very happy with the first she arrived for lunch after starting. It was certainly helping, that much was for sure. What Luffy lacked in formal training with a staff, he made up with his overall fighting knowledge, and prowess. Especially helpful was his abilities. His stretchiness meant he could, however limitedly, function at most ranges, and combined with his unique way of fighting, Nami found herself practicing a wide variety of skills. Everything from dodging attacks on approach, to looking for better openings when in close quarters, to out maneuvering a far superior opponent. Sure, Nami would never want to fight a superior opponent, but being able to avoid them once engaged would be priceless.

Now, Nami would hardly say she's come on leaps and bounds since they began, but she had improved. Her two biggest weaknesses in a fight were her lack of experience, and inability to tank a hit. She was hardly a delicate little flower, but she was no tank either. As each spar went on and Luffy pummeled her, Nami found it easier to get back up. Plus the sheer amount of sparring being done certainly helped with her lack of experience. It was hardly optimal training but it was better than nothing.

Nami huffed as she made it to the top of a flight of stairs. Whose idea was it to put the flight to the next floor on the far end of each stupidly long hallway? Whoever it was, they needed their ass beat. Still, only three more to go.

One night Nami asked about the training Luffy was putting her through. How did he come up with it? Had he ever gone through with it before? That sort of thing. Apparently this was how he trained himself against Ace. Luffy had mentioned that in all the time he and his brother fought, he never won. So what Luffy figured he could do was just practice the same thing over and over again, until he could do it. Just like he was doing with her. Then when Ace left, he'd practice against wild animals or various crooks around his home island.

Luffy had been training like that for ten years. Nami gawked at that realization. She knew he had to have gone through a lot to get where he was, but to start age _seven_ was absurd to her. Nami didn't even know how to draw a proper map back then! It also put into perspective how strong Ace was. The guy did give them a demonstration back in Alabasta but that was his Devil Fruit. He must have been truly monstrous in his own right!

Still, Nami enjoyed her training with Luffy. It gave her a whole new appreciation for him as a person. A whole new respect for his determination to find One Piece. He had literally been training all his life for it. It also made sense as to why Luffy didn't seem to take their adventure too seriously. He was in it for the adventure. Not new information in and of itself, but Nami realised how much that played on his everyday demeanor. To Luffy adventure was fun, exciting, and memorable. He didn't want to be bogged down by logistics, who they could and couldn't fight, or even what areas to avoid. He had his crew to worry about that for him. Luffy wasn't a man naive to the world or its consequences.

He just didn't care.

Nami recalled the second night she and Luffy shared on the Merry. She asked him; '_Why Pirate King?'_ and he replied '_Freedom'_. He wanted to do anything he wanted no strings attached. If he took a moment to consider the consequences then, to him at least, he be giving some of his freedom up. Something that was inexcusable to Luffy. Nami admired that about him. She felt like she now understood him better as a person now. It was hardly new information, as she knew most of it already, but it was only in the last week or so training with him that all the pieces clicked into place.

It was exactly because Nami felt she knew him so well, that she needed to be with him now. He had always been there for her. It was now her chance to be there for him.

The final flight of stairs had been conquered. The door to the roof lay slightly ajar, letting in a soft breeze. At least someone was up here, if not Luffy. Nami took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The rooftop was splayed out in front of her, the edge marked by tall wire fences, and various vents and boxes dotted about the place.

"Luffy!" Nami called out. No response.

She walk out onto the rooftop proper, and looked around. No sign of him.

Walking around, Nami tried to spot him, but nothing. Seriously, the roof was big but how well could someone hide up here? It didn't help that the door leading back inside was off in one corner. Though, if Nami were a betting girl - which she was - he'd be as far away from there as possible. Then again, he could have taken that to an extreme and left the building entirely, then she'd be up shit creek without a paddle.

Nami didn't even make it halfway across the roof when she spotted a hunched figure in the far corner.

Immediately she picked up the pace to go meet him. Luffy didn't even seem to notice her. He just sat still as stone, cross legged, staring at the ground.

He looked so defeated. His shoulders, normally held straight with pride looked crumpled under the weight of the world. Nami wanted so desperately to cheer him up, to give him a hug, to find Usopp and beat him bloody for causing this.

Unfortunately the latter would not be of much help right now, as cathartic as it would be. The former two would, but Nami didn't want to be forceful. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, and sat beside him.

Luffy didn't look up, or react in anyway. He could have been asleep for all she knew. Nami barely even knew where to start. He looked so beaten down. All the dirt and marks from the fight were still present on his skin. Luffy had been here for hours, and likely hadn't moved at all.

"Hey." she said softly at him, "You made the right choice, you know that right?"

Nothing. Nami frowned, her concern rising. Maybe try something else.

"I… I want to apologise." Nami said, this time far more clearly. Luffy still didn't move but she pressed on, "I shouldn't have tried to make you apologise to Usopp. It was disrespectful to you as both my captain, and my friend. I was out of line and I'm sorry." It was far more formal than how she originally planned to apologise, but if it got his attention she didn't mind.

But again, Luffy didn't move. Nami just stared at him, concern openly showing on her face, willing him to move, or do anything. She hated seeing Luffy looking so defeated.

She waited in silence.

Minutes dragged by, but they just sat there. The wind shifted and the air pressure dropped. It was going to rain soon.

After what felt like an hour, Luffy finally moved. His shoulders shook and his head dropped lower. Nami looked to him.

Luffy lifted his head up with the shaky breath, his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat, "I-I…" he started but his voice caught in his throat. He swallowed loudly, "Nami, have I been a good captain?"

His words hit Nami like a kick to the gut. How could he even question that!

"You've been the best, Luffy." Nami said without hesitation, "Don't even doubt it."

Luffy heaved a deep breath, and looked at her. The look of sadness that was etched into every inch of his face shattered her heart.

"It's just. Usopp used to yell at me for not being careful with Merry, and now she'd broken and Usopp's gone cause of it." His voice was shaky, "You and everyone else yell at me for not doing stuff, or for being stupid. It never bothered me before, but now… what if it makes you guys leave too?"

Tears welled up in the corners of Nami's eyes. Just this night alone had driven such a wedge into his might, that the rest of his crew might also abandon him.

Luffy's head dropped back down, most likely taking her shocked silence as confirmation of his fears.

No. A righteous anger filled the pit of her stomach. Anger at Luffy for even considering it. At Usopp for causing it. At herself for not going to Luffy sooner.

Nami shifted up onto her knees, and grabbed Luffy by the shoulders turning him to face her. He let out a surprised yelp at how suddenly she moved him.

She forced him to meet her gaze, "Luffy," she said firmly, "Do you trust me?"

"Y-yes." He replied sounding a little surprised, but without any hesitation.

"Do you trust the rest of the crew?"

"Yes." He said, "Nami, what're you-"

"Shh, let me finish." Nami cut across him, "If you trust us, then believe me when I tell you; I, nor anyone else on the crew will ever leave of own accord. This crew is our home, no matter what ship we're on, and you are our Captain, no matter what. Don't ever doubt that." she paused for breath. Luffy was looking at her wide eyes and jaw looking like it had been wired shut.

The first drops of rain began to fall. The smell of petrichor filled the air.

"Usopp has made a mistake. A colossal mistake. We all get that he's more attached to Merry than anyone, but how he acted was excessive and uncalled for. _You _made the right choice, as hard as it was. No was happy with it, least of all you, but Usopp is the one who made it personal. That's on him, not you." She was in full blown rant mode now, but she needed to tell Luffy this, "But Usopp is our friend. He'll come back, I know he will, but he needs to realise his mistake, admit it, and apologise. Until then, we'll all have to do without." She paused before speaking again, this time her tone notably softer.

The rain was pouring steadily harder with an audible hiss.

"So please Luffy, don't believe for a moment we think any less of you. You're our Captain and friend…" For the first time tonight Nami hesitated, "You're my best friend, and I hate seeing you like this." She gave him a soft, warm smile.

Luffy just stared at her, speechless. Her impassioned rant seemed to have knocked the words right out of him. His eyes just darted about her face as he processed her words.

Then he laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

It was loud and joyous. Luffy clutched at his belly as he laughed. It was like he was exorcising all his demons right then and there. Nami's hands just slipped of his shoulders as she watched. One part of her was absolutely amazed at his sudden shift in demeanor, the other filled with satisfaction and happiness seeing him transform from dower to uproarious.

It took a while before Luffy managed to get his laughter under control. By that point they were both well and truly soaked, but Nami had stopped feeling cold long before. Luffy took several deep breaths, finally calming down. The smile he gave her warmed Nami to her core.

"Man Nami, you sure are blunt!" Luffy said with a chuckle.

"Like you're one to talk, Mr Can't-Tell-A-Lie." she shot back with a grin.

"I really needed to hear that. Thank you." His words were filled with so much genuine gratitude it almost made Nami's heart skip a beat.

"Well, someone's gotta knock some sense into that rubbery bonce of yours, so anytime Captain." she replied happily.

Nami pushed herself to her feet and offered her hand to Luffy, "Come on, best get inside so I don't catch my death of cold."

Luffy shot her a sly grin from under the brim of his dripping hat, "I thought you said idiots couldn't catch colds." he said, taking her hand.

That was the best one Luffy had come up with yet. Nami thought it rather funny how their insults towards each other basically boiled down to calling each other stupid. Even Zoro and Sanji mixed their insults from time to time.

"Hardly, I'm not the one who fell for Foxy's disguises." she replied, pulling him to his feet.

"Hey! They were totally believable, I couldn't tell it was him!"

"Thank you for proving my point."

"Now you're just being mean!" Luffy glared at her, pouting intensely. Nami just laughed.

They began walking back toward the door back inside. Nami was doing her best to ignore the fact she and Luffy were still holding hands. She was eighteen, not eight. She refused to react in any childish manner over something so menial.

"Thanks again for cheering me up Nami." Luffy said, swinging their joined hands back and forth, almost making Nami squeak, "I really needed it."

"Hehe, don't worry about it." Nami said, waving it off, struggling to keep her composure, "If i had known ranting at you like that would've helped, I'd have done it sooner."

Luffy just chuckled.

They reached the door, and went inside. The pouring rain hitting the roof above them echoed loudly.

"Hey Luffy."

"Mm?"

"Promise me something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"If you ever get like that again, talk to me, okay?"

"Shishishi! I promise."

.o0o.

_**~Sometimes you need someone to call you out~**_

_**(Note: Oof, this was kinda hard to get right. Between Luffy being mopey and Nami having to snap him out, it was difficult, but I feel I did a decent job at it. What do you think?**_

_**A more dower chapter today. But, then again, it's never sunshine and roses it? And these two have a lot more of that in the future. **_

_**Next chapter is post Enies Lobby!)**_


	12. The 12th Night

_**~The 12th Night~**_

.o0o.

Here they were again, back sailing out on the high seas. It had been an eventful week on Water 7, what with the situation with Usopp and Merry, and then Robin leaving with CP9, before finally storming Enies Lobby to rescue her. Nami adjusted her glasses and turned the page of her book.

Well, to be honest all of that happened in the first two days and the rest of it was them waiting around for the Thousand Sunny to be built. It was largely uneventful. With the tiny exception of running into Marine HQ Vice Admiral, Garp 'The Fist', the legendary marine able to go toe to toe with Gold Roger and every other great of that age. A man who, by alrights, should of been Admiral rank - if not higher - out of sheer might alone. A man without any special powers or Devil Fruit ability, but who's physical strength could rival that of Whitebeard.

The man who was also Luffy's grandfather.

Nami's heart nearly up and packed it in when Luffy called him 'grandpa'. He'd always talked so highly about his beloved 'grandpa', right up there with Ace, even despite the hellish training they were put through. It - very reasonably - never occurred to Nami that said 'grandpa' was the fucking Hero of the Marines.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, Garp goes and drops the absolute bomb that Luffy's dad is 'The Revolutionary Dragon', the most wanted man in the world! Only to then go and ask for them to forget all of it

Nami rubbed her temples. What kind of monstrous family was her captain from?

Apparently, he didn't know either. Luffy's response was quite predictably "_I have a dad?"_ completely blowing past just _who_ his father was, but then again, it did make sense, her captain was literally raised by bandits in a jungle. It was a bit comforting that Luffy was on the same page as the rest of them. Nami didn't know how she could handle Luffy sitting on any world bending revelations.

Still the thought of The Revolutionary Dragon, the man literally depicted as the devil himself, hell bent on the destruction of the world as they knew it, having two kids was a little jarring, even if she knew both of them.

What kind of woman would even hook up with a man like that? Whoever she was, she must have been terrifying.

Nami reclined into her chair, lifting the front legs off the ground, nonchalantly rocking back and forth. She dog eared her book and closed it, no longer interested. The library of the Thousand Sunny was quiet. Only the faint sounds of the ocean lapping up against the sides of the ship could be heard. Nami yawned, stretching her arms far above her head.

A busy week indeed.

After finally giving an emotional farewell to the Going Merry, Franky, the crew's new shipwright, offered to build what he called a "_Dream Ship"_ like that of the Oro Jackson. The ship of the Roger Pirates. Believing that it would be able to take them to the end of the Grand Line.

Goddamn if he didn't deliver.

The Thousand Sunny was an incredibly beautiful ship, the likes of which Nami had never seen before, and given Franky's pledge, would never see again. From his handsome Lion figurehead to the docking system that housed various smaller utility vehicles, to the fact he could motherfucking _fly_. Franky really went above and beyond with Sunny.

Well, calling the Coup de Burst "_flight"_ is a bit like calling what Luffy does to an all you can eat barbeque "_socially acceptable"_ or "_not a crime against humanity"_. I wasn't technically correct. Coup de Burst is simply the act of Sunny launching himself a full kilometer through the air with what can only be described as a cola explosion. That combined with the Gaon-cannon made Sunny quite the formidable ship.

Franky quite eagerly shared with everyone how the cannon worked, taking great pains to describe the process of how everything from the motor to the compressors worked and how cool it all was, but quite frankly, Nami couldn't care less. It worked, it was destructive, and it didn't cost a lot of money to fire.

Then there was all the simple quality of life improvements Sunny gave them. Bigger sleeping quarters, more rooms such as the library, a lawn deck - as someone who liked to walk barefoot, Nami appreciated it very much - and most importantly a proper bathroom.

Merry was a great ship, and Nami would never hear a bad word against her, but Sunny, by virtue of being newly built, didn't have any of the wear and tear that Merry did. Both Nami and Robin had proper beds in their quarters, meaning the latter didn't have to readjust the _very_ makeshift rack from which her hammock was held after it would come loose every other night. Nor was there the general worry about a lack of hot water, or electricity. Franky had rendered those non-issues with Sunny.

Then to top it all of, Sunny was literally made of the strongest wood known to man. Wood that was so strong it is literally illegal to own. It meant the crew could be as rough and tumble as they pleased and not have to worry about damaging Sunny. It really seemed like Sunny was the Dream Ship that Franky always wanted.

And it fit them perfectly.

Nami looked at the clock hung on the wall above her head. 12:38am it read. Everyone was usually in bed by about one, so there was a little time left.

With the exception of escaping from the Marines when they left Water 7 that morning, the day had gone by pretty peacefully. Everyone spent a lot of the day inspecting the different parts of the ship in more detail, just enjoying the novelty of a new ship while it lasted. Nami, for the most part, had joined in, but quickly grew tired of it. She had already seen everything she needed to and had little interest in the rest. She retreated up to the library to work on some maps.

The completed map of Water 7 lay out before her on her cartography desk. The ink had dried nicely and Nami was particularly proud of her line work on it. With the shape of Water 7 being largely man-made, concentric, circles, it was quite a challenge for her to depict the island as more than just a bunch of regular concentric circles. But, she'd handled it easy, once she worked out the method needed.

That, however, was no less than four hours ago. Nami had been in the library since dinner, which had ended at seven. Most of this particular map was done on the island itself. It was little more work than drawing detail, and writing the legend. So why was she still sitting here?

The simple answer; Luffy.

Ever since Nami and Robin had that little talk after Skypiea about her feelings for the Captain, Nami had decided to keep it secret. To simply pretend it wasn't a thing. Things were easier that way. Nothing changed, or was made complicated by the revelation. It just simply was. Hell, it wasn't even that hard to hide. There was no way in heaven or hell Nami would say anything on the matter, and if she were to act oddly affectionate to Luffy, it would easily be played off as her being in a friendly mood.

So what if being in the same room as him made Nami smile. So what if the highlight of her day was always the time they spent together at night. So what if Nami wanted to actually have some form of relationship with the rubbery dumbass then went beyond the friendly one they currently shared. Those were her problems, and she could deal with them.

It had all been going well; Nami was able to enjoy spending time with Luffy, and no one, bar herself and Robin, were any the wiser.

At least, that was the case.

It wasn't until they got back from Enies Lobby that Nami realised something was wrong. Well, maybe not 'wrong' per say, more things became slightly complicated. On her end, at least.

In the days following their victory over CP9 everyone was in such a lighthearted mood. They had gotten Robin back, and claimed a small victory over the World Government in the process. A pretty damn big thing in the grand scale of things. The whole crew were taking their time to relax and recuperate. Exploring the island, shopping, training - on Zoro's part at least - and just all round enjoying themselves.

It was like the whole battle they had been through at Enies Lobby was catharsis for them. Releasing all the pent up frustration and anguish that had built up ever since they met Aokiji in Long Ring Long Land. After all, nothing purges stress like fighting for you life.

Robin, for one, had never looked more alive. When she first joined after Alabasta, she was treating the crew like some kind of stop over, and was just enjoying the view while it lasted. Now with the hindsight on her mental state at the time, that analogy was slightly grim. However, now that all that was behind her, Robin looked reborn.

It had done them all a world of good.

But, that's where Nami's complications lay. For as relieved, happy and renewed as she felt, she didn't feel like she could enjoy such an atmosphere until Luffy was among them.

Their Captain had been out of commission for several days after his fight with Rob Lucci. Completely understandable given the absolute beating he'd been given. It wasn't until Garp's arrival that Luffy was woken up.

For the majority of those few days when Luffy was out, Nami found herself by his bedside, only moving to go to the loo, or when someone asked her to join them somewhere. Logically she knew he'd be fine, Chopper deemed him as such. It's just Nami couldn't feel sure of that unless she could see it with her own eyes. It was completely stupid.

It was only after Luffy awoke could Nami bring herself to finally unwind. Like some kind of spring in her chest that had slowly been tightening since their arrival at Water 7, had finally come undone. All at the sight of Luffy awake, and grinning at her like the dork he was.

That's when Nami realised. At the risk of sounding sappy, or cliched, she'd fallen harder for Luffy. From the last night they spent together on the hotel roof, seeing Luffy truly vulnerable for the first time, to seeing the full extent of how far he'd go for his loved ones. All of it etched Luffy deeper into her heart.

That, in and of itself, Nami had no problem with. The fact that she was falling deeper in love with Luffy was something she was immensely happy about. It was a sign her feelings - at least in her mind - weren't actually some childish phase, or a temporary infatuation, but real thing.

Luffy was a great man, and there was no other man Nami would rather be with.

The problem was that it was clearly starting to affect her day to day. She found herself wanting to spend as much time as possible with Luffy, and any time that she wasn't with him, Nami was at a complete loose end. Completely unable to focus on any task in front of her without considerable effort. The map of Water 7 that she just finished took four days to complete, including today! Long Ring Long Land only took two! Most of the time Nami was just staring off into space waiting for her nightly rondevu with Luffy.

Nami was acting like some kind of love sick adolescent! She was well aware of the irony, but that was beside the point. Yes, she was in love with Luffy. Yes, she had long since accepted that as fact. Yes, genuinely hoped Luffy felt the same way. But she refused point blank to let that get in the way of her duty as navigator, or her dream in general!

A bit of space is what was needed. Space for Nami to cool off, and get her head in order. It wouldn't be fair on the crew, or Luffy for that matter, if she were to continue acting the way she had been. They didn't need her spacing out and making goo-goo eyes at the captain, while completely forgetting to actually set a course for them. Hell, Nami refused to do that on principle.

Now that didn't mean she had pulled away from Luffy all together. Not at all. He didn't know what was going on in her head. Nami would be surprised if he even knew what was going on his own. It was more a case of just being a bit more formal than she had been the last few weeks. Nothing extreme.

So here she was, in the library, enjoying an extended moment of peace and quiet while waiting for the unspoken allotted time.

The last night they spent together was the one of the hotel rooftop, after Usopp left. Every night following they had been unable to meet. This would be the first in almost a week.

It was hardly a big deal, but Nami couldn't help the sense of nervous excitement she felt. She plopped the chair back down on all four legs and stood up. The urge to pace had overtaken. Maybe sitting five hours behind a desk wasn't the best idea.

Nami paced the width of the library. Her knees and ankles clicked with every step as the stiffness was worked out of them.

"Ah, I see you're still up." came Robin's voice.

Nami turned to see the archaeologist's head poking in the door. Nami stopped her pacing.

"Hey Robin, what's up?" Nami asked.

"Nothing major." Robin replied pleasantly, "I was actually looking for you, we have something we need to talk about."

Nami's brow furrowed in confusion, "Um, okay? What is it?"

Robin pursed her lips and shook her head, "Not here. Follow me." With that she turned and left.

For some reason, the somber tone with which she spoke gave Nami the strongest sense of foreboding. Why couldn't they talk here? Something was certainly up, it was just 'nothing major'.

Nami took off her glasses and followed Robin's lead, walking out onto the upper deck. The sky was heavily overcast, with clouds as far as they eye could see. Air pressure was high and there was little wind. Just a dreary night. Worst comes to worst she and Luffy can just sit inside.

They climbed down the ladder to the lounge below. The lights were on and Zoro was sitting at the table staring intensely at full pitcher of beer. He was looking even grumpier than usual, like he didn't want to be here. Robin took a seat beside Zoro and gestured for Nami to sit across from them.

"Umm, guys? Is everything alright?" Nami asked, her confusion, was now bordering on worry.

Zoro just grunted and Robin gave her a passive smile, "Everything is fine, Nami." she said calmly, "We just need to talk about you and Luffy."

Nami's blood ran cold. Her eyes darted between the First Mate and Archaeologist. The urge to panic was her immediate reaction. Had Robin told Zoro? If so, why? Had she done something wrong?

But she hadn't had she? Nothing had gone on between them, and Nami herself certainly hadn't done anything. So what was up with the impending inquisition? Nami balled her fists and stared Robin dead in the eye. If she had told Zoro _anything_ about her feelings towards the Captain, there would be hell to pay.

"What did you tell him?" she asked - almost demanded - frigidly.

Robin met Nami's gaze cooly, "Only that I knew something was going on." she replied.

"Then what's all this about?" Nami stood as tall as she could, hands on hips.

Zoro sighed beleagerly, and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Have you spoke to Luffy in the last couple days?"

"A couple of times. Why?" Nami's frustration was starting to build. Couldn't she just get a straight answer from these two?

"So not as much as before, right?" he asked.

"No. Why does it matter?" Nami folded her arms across her chest, her foot tapping impatiently.

"Are you avoiding him?" Zoro stared at her directly, like he was trying to bore a hole in her soul.

Robin sat forward, resting her elbows on the table, looking very tense. She watched the back and forth between the two with a neutral expression.

That threw Nami for a loop, "Why would I avo-? No, I'm not avoiding him." She did not appreciate what sounded very much like an accusation being thrown her way. Especially not one like that, "Zoro, what's going here?" she demanded.

"So nothing's happened between the two of you?"

"No, of course not!"

Zoro stared at he a few seconds longer, as if trying to divine the truth out of her. Finally he blinked and leaned back in his chair, "Luffy's not been himself since dinner." he explained simply, "He was here barely ten minutes ago, acting like his dog just died. Robin asked him about it, and he thinks you're avoiding him. I wasn't sure what was up, but you've definitely not been around him a much."

Why on earth would he think that? Nami would admit she had been making an effort to not be in the same room with him for too long in the last couple of days, but it shouldn't have been enough for anyone to think she was avoiding him.

"I'm not avoiding him. I just wanted a bit of space is all." Nami said, averting her eyes. Had he really noticed something was up?

Zoro shrugged and took a large swig of beer, "So long as you're sure, but you should talk to him and clear that up. We don't need your inability to communicate to get in our way." he said, putting the tankard back down with a '_thunk'_.

Nami nodded, "I will, anything else you two want to interrogate me about?" she asked, only half joking.

The look Robin gave her, and Zoro immediately picking up his drink and draining the rest of it did not fill Nami with much hope.

Robin glanced over at Zoro, who was now glaring determinedly at the bottom of his now empty pitcher.

"Yes, actually there is." she said.

"I'm gonna need more beer." he muttered, but not moving a muscle, "I can't believe I have to do this. It's so stupid" he didn't react when Robin, not too subtly, elbowed him in the ribs.

Zoro heaved a colossal sigh, "I'm gonna say this first and get it out of the way." he began reluctantly, "I do not care what goes on with you and Luffy behind closed doors. That's none of my business. But, if any of it could potentially affect the running of the crew, like tonight, that's where we have a problem."

Nami was becoming more and more horrified with every word Zoro spoke. This was not going where she thought it was going. It just wasn't. Zoro himself certainly didn't look happy about it, barely able to look Nami in the eye. Robin just kept her neutral expression.

"I wanna nip this in the bud, and get it over and done with. Understand." His tone left no room for argument. Nami just nodded.

"Do you like Luffy?"

Nami near choked on her tongue. She saw it coming a mile off once he started talk, but the sheer bluntness of which he asked almost knocked Nami on her ass.

"Ye-Yeah, o-of course I do." she managed to reply with a nervous laugh, "He's my friend."

Nami didn't know what possessed her to lie. Well, she did. She just was not prepared to have to actually tell anyone about it with anyone other than Robin. For Nami, it was an intensely personal, and private matter, being asked about it so suddenly was not something she was ready for. Acknowledging, and accepting her feelings was completely different to admitting them openly.

Robin gave her a sympathetic look. Zoro was not so kind.

"Don't bullshit, Nami." he snapped, "You know full well what I meant."

"_Dickhead!"_ is what Nami wanted to yell at him, but held back. She didn't like this anymore than he did, but that didn't give him the right to be an insensitive twat. It was her personal life he was prying into, First Mate or not. He could at least have some tact about it.

"Fine!" she shot back, her anger boiling over, "I like Luffy, so fucking what? You said it yourself; it's none of your business!"

Zoro snarled at her. He slammed his hand on the table, ready to stand up and yell back yell back at her, but was stopped by no less than four disembodied arms pinning him to the chair. Nami found herself being pulled to sit down by more of those arms.

Robin was looking at them, her her chin resting in the palm of her hand, and smiling eerily at them.

"I think I'll take over from here Zoro, if you don't mind." she said lightly, making it very clear he had no choice in the matter.

Zoro just grunted and looked away.

She turned to look at Nami who was still seething through clenched teeth, "Nami, we're not doing this because we think it's funny, or want to force out all your darkest secrets." Robin said patiently, "It's because this could have tangible effects on the crew should it swing one way or another."

Nami huffed angrily, "It hardly matter. It's not like he likes me back." she bit out.

Robin openly sighed at that, "But that's just it, Nami, you don't _know _that." she stressed, "And depending on if how it all works out, could drastically affect the rest of us."

"What? You think I don't know this? You think I don't sit for hours worrying about where this will all go? Because I do. I like Luffy, more than like even, but I don't want it to get in the way of everyone else." Nami ranted at them, "I don't even know how I'll react if he says he doesn't feel the same. If we do get together, but later down the line we have a messy falling out, how we'd deal with that. That's why I was wanted space these last few days! I didn't want to get so head over heels it would cause problems, but seemingly, I'm damned either way, what with Luffy thinking I'm avoiding him now!" her voice cracked at the end and Nami cursed herself for it. How weak was she?

Zoro was nursing his empty mug, staring at the dregs in the bottom, looking like some kind of detailed marble statue. Robin was once again giving Nami was sympathetic smile. She stood and leaned across the table, pulling the navigator into a hug. Nami stood stock still, not expecting the open display of affection from Robin.

"It's not easy Nami, I know." she whispered into the younger woman's ear, "But, this is the situation you're in, and the longer it goes on the worse it'll be down the line."

Nami was slow to respond, but wrapped her arms around Robin and hugged her back, the frustration and anger slowly seeping away, "You sound like you're talking from experience."

Robin just chuckled, "Once or twice."

After a few more seconds they pulled out of the hug. Zoro was finding the details of the table incredibly interesting. Robin and Nami retook their seats.

"Now," Robin began again, "We're not saying to do something immediately, but sooner rather than later."

Nami sighed and rubbed her temples, "You're still putting a lot of pressure on me, you know?"

"I know," Robin replied sympathetically, "I'm sorry."

They all sat in silence for several minutes, none of them wanting to be the first to get up. The weighty discussion hanging over them.

"Well, if it's all the same to you," Zoro said, breaking the silence, "I'm going to bed." he stood and walked over to the kitchen. He rinsed out his pitcher and put it back in the cupboard.

He turned to leave, but when he got to the door, he looked back at Nami, "Look, I'm sorry for being so forceful, and..." he paused, "I hope it goes well between you and Luffy."

Nami smiled at Zoro, "It's fine. I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. I hope so too."

Zoro just smirked at her and left for the men's quarters.

When the door clicked closed, Nami heaved a sigh and turned back to Robin, "You wouldn't happen to know where Luffy went, would you?"

Robin just pointed out the door Zoro just left, "I believe he's out on the lawn deck, it's a bit hard to see out."

No kidding, the space outside the portholes was pitch black. The thick, unbroken clouds blotting out any and all light coming from the moon.

"Come on," Robin stood from her seat, and heading for the door she gestured for Nami to follow her, "I would like to get to bed myself, and we're going the same way"

Nami nodded and made to follow the older woman. All of a sudden the reality of what was likely to come hit Nami like a sea train.

"Robin?" Nami asked quietly, her uncertainty creeping into her voice. Robin stopped at the door, one hand on the knob, "I-" her voice cracked, "How should I go about this?"

Robin looked back at her with a gentle smile, "However you feel best." she said, "If you truly believe that you're not ready, then don't do anything, but in my experience it is best to rip the stitches out, as it were."

Nami winced at the graphic metaphor, "Don't you mean 'rip the bandaid off?'" she asked tentatively, fearing the answer.

"No." was the flat reply.

What was she expecting?

"Thanks, Robin. I appreciate the advice." Nami said, giving Robin an appreciative smile.

"Of course, Nami, anytime." Robin replied, "I don't think you should worry too much, however. This is Luffy after all, you might just surprised."

Nami chuckled, she wasn't wrong, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Robin opened the door and they walked out into the cool night air together. It was near pitch black. Nami could barely make out the shapes of the rails in front of her. Her eyes not yet adjusted to the dark. Robin however had no such problems. She confidently strode over the the stairs, Nami following closely behind her.

As they were walking down the stairs to the lawn deck Robin leaned down slightly, "Should things go well, I don't mind you using our quarters going forward." she whispered, a hint of mischievousness in her voice, "Just make sure to hang a scarf on the door."

Nami immediately punched her shoulder, making Robin stumble slightly, but she just started giggling merrily.

When they stepped onto the lawn deck Nami stopped in place and Robin continued walking on, whispering a sly "_Good luck"_ over her shoulder.

"Good night, Luffy." she called out into the inky blackness of the lawn deck.

"G'night, Robin." came the response from somewhere in the middle of the deck.

Nami waited, listening to Robin's footsteps across the deck, up the steps on the other side, and the woman's quarter's doors opening then closing with a pair of soft clicks.

There was nothing other than the rocking of sunny back and forth across the waves, and the sound of the wind blowing through the furled sails. Nami suddenly realised how tense she was. Her shoulders were up and back as far as they'd go, and her fists were balled so tightly she was sure that her knuckles had gone white.

This wouldn't do. This was Luffy after all. Nami refused to face him as a massive ball of nerves. There was no need for it.

Nami took a deep breath, counting to five as she did so, then held it for five seconds, before finally breathing out for another five. She repeated the process several times. Almost immediately she felt her shoulders drop and her fist uncurl. It was like her every muscle let itself loose.

Regardless of what was to come, she needed to talk to Luffy. At the very least to clear up why she was 'avoiding' him.

"Luffy?" she called out, walking towards the middle of the deck, "Where are you hiding?"

"Nami, I'm right her-ACK!" his reply was both surprisingly close and immediately cut off…

At the same time her foot stepped on something soft, warm, and decidedly rubbery…

She just stepped on Luffy's neck.

"SHIT!" she exclaimed, removing her foot and immediately dropping to her knees, "I'm so sorry Luffy, I didn't see you down there!"

Luffy was wheezing hard. Clearly being stepped on was the last thing he was expecting. Nami let him sputter and catch his breath before continuing, while gently rubbing up and down the length of his back.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm good." Luffy coughed, catching his breath.

Nami chuckled awkwardly, this was not starting exactly how she wanted it too, "Sorry about that." she apologised again, "What were you doing down there?"

With her hand still on Luffy's back, she felt him shrug, "The grass is really soft, it's a lot nicer than the stuff outside Dadan's place, so I thought I'd just lay down on it for a bit."

That made sense. Nami couldn't imagine that a troupe of bandits would have the best kept greenery around.

"That's fair, I guess." Nami replied simply.

It was only when Luffy turned to look at her that Nami suddenly realised two things. One; her eyes were starting to properly adjust to the dark. Two; just how close her and Luffy's faces were. She could his breath on her cheek. Nami did her best to subtly move back and put a couple of feet of distance between them.

There was a brief moment of silence between them where neither knew what to say. It was the first time, probably ever, that a silence passed between the two that wasn't comfortable and friendly. Nami would even go as far as to say it was a little awkward.

Nami knew what she wanted to say, but was struggling to put it into words. Luffy was just sitting there, in complete silence. Nami shook her head. She just needed to bite the bullet.

"We need to talk." she stated.

"Hm? What about?" Luffy asked, his curiosity evident.

"Why do you think I'm avoiding you?" Nami asked bluntly.

"Well, you've barely said two words to me, in the last couple days." he began, not sounding particularly upset. He was just stating the truth as he perceived it, "And any time I walked into a room, you'd spot me and walk out before I could talk to you. You didn't say anything. After everything had just went through, it kinda hurt."

Maybe she made a mistake not saying anything to him first.

"I see your point." Nami said after a brief pause, "I wasn't trying to avoid you. I…" she hesitated, trying to think of how to continue, "I just needed a bit of space is all. I should have at least said something first. I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Luffy said, nonchalantly, "It's just there was also something I _really_ wanted to tell you."

"Oh? And what might that be?" Nami asked, her curiosity suddenly peaked. It must have been something really important if he had held on to it this long. Then again, maybe not, if he hadn't just resorted to yelling it at her from across the room.

"Yeah!" He said, becoming really cheerful, "I really like you!"

There was a pause.

Nami's brain went dark. Did he just? No he didn't. How could he just say it! Maybe he was just affirming their friendship? What if he did mean it like that? She'd have to double check. She just needed to ask.

The lights in her head finally flickered on. Her tongue felt like it was glue to the roof of her mouth as she stared at the black silhouette that was Luffy, most likely grinning stupidly back at her. His blunt admission had completely winded her.

Luffy waved his hand in front of her face, looking for signs of life, "Hey Nami, you alright?" he asked, before suddenly becoming panicked, "You're not having a stroke are you! We need to get you Chopper right now!"

He leaped to his feet and seemed ready to run off when Nami finally found her voice;

"What?" was all she could muster.

Luffy turned back to her, "What 'what'?"

Nami swallowed thickly, "What do you mean 'like me'?" she asked slowly, desperately needing clarification.

Luffy plopped back on the ground, "It means I really like you." he said with a shrug.

Like it was that simple.

"No, I'm mean, like me as a friend, or like me as more than a friend?" Nami spoke very deliberately, not wanting to leave any room for interpretation. Her heart felt like it was both racing a mile a minute, while also like it was about to give out.

"More than a friend." He replied without hesitation.

Nami's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly felt faint. This was now officially happening. Relief was awash through her body, filling her with warmth. She needed to press forward.

"When did you know?" she asked, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper.

Luffy 'hmm-ed', moving his hand up to his chin trying to recall.

"Oh yeah! It was the day after we left Skypiea!" he exclaimed with a snap of his fingers, "We were playing poke it."

But that was the same day Robin asked Nami about her feelings. It had to be coincidence surely.

"That so?" Nami asked, trying to pry for more details, "How did that happen? Last I checked you weren't really the thinking type."

Luffy turned away, probably pouting, "Now you're just being mean!"

"But not wrong." she quipped, "So spill; how did you work out you liked me like that?"

"Well, me, Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, and Robin were all playing and talking and stuff." Luffy explained happily, unaware of the gears furiously turning in Nami's mind as she desperately searched for any possible indication that he meant anything other than what he was saying he meant,

"They started talking about what type of people they all liked, but I didn't really listen to what they were saying. Usopp was blushing a lot, and I think Robin said something scary." he rambled, happily recalling the memory, "I didn't get asked, but I thought about what kind of person I'd like, and every thing I thought of was about you. That's when I realised the person I'd like was Nami!"

Even through the pitch blackness of night Luffy grin shone brightly. Nami sat and looked at him wide eyed as he laughed merrily to himself, proud of his conclusion. So he did feel the same about her.

"Oh." she muttered quietly. It was about all she could manage right now.

He did feel the same, and he _knew it_. That all but alleviated a massive chunk of Nami's concern. The fact that she could look him in the eye and tell him how she felt, and not have him stare at her blankly, completely uncomprehending. It's just it, knowing Luffy like she did, it begged the question;

"But why did you wait so long?" she asked, "You can barely wait ten minutes for dinner, let alone like two weeks?"

Luffy shrugged, "Robin told me to." he said simply.

Nami blink. She what? Robin knew, and didn't say anything! That cow! Nami's righteous fury burned brightly. Robin was so getting smacked. Nami had half a mind to go smack her right now!

Wait… was that why she was so insistent on Nami's uncertainty with Luffy? And why she made that stupid joke earlier?

"Why did she do that?" Honestly, with every answer Luffy gave her it was spawning more questions, like some kind of word hydra.

"I dunno, I was gonna tell you then, but she asked me about it and then told me not." Luffy explained, "She said it was really important because it might really upset you, and that I should wait until you asked me about it. I didn't want to upset you so I kept quiet."

That was… actually really sweet. Honestly, given what had gone on that night, Nami doubted she'd have dealt with Luffy suddenly confessing to her well, even after Robin talked sense into her. The fact Luffy was willing to wait was really sweet of him.

But Nami was curious about something from then, even though she never really questioned it originally, "What was with the sake cup thing?" she inquired.

"Oh that!" Luffy said, "Robin said, instead of telling you that I liked you, I should show you the best way I could!"

Nami raised an eyebrow at that, no really getting it, "It involved toasting sake together?"

"Yup!" Luffy confirmed, popping the 'p', "It was a thing me and my brothers did together when we were kids, to signify our bond together, so I thought I'd do the same with you."

The image of a tiny Luffy and Ace pouring sake messily into cups before proclaiming a toast to their brotherhood was almost too adorable for Nami. The fact Luffy regarded her on that level was incredibly touching to her, it almost made her wish she had something like that to share back. But that also explained why he was so set on the little ritual, yet didn't say a word, cause then he'd have expl- wait… brothers, as in plural? Luffy has more than one brother!? Bloody hell Dragon was busy.

Nami shook her head. She needed to stay on topic. She'd strayed far enough already.

She smiled softly at him, even though he probably wouldn't be able to see it, "Thank you, Luffy. That really means a lot." Nami said with genuine appreciation, "But, if you don't mind me asking; what changed? Why did you suddenly want to tell me?"

Luffy's demeanor suddenly became quite somber. Nami could barely read his expression, but his dopey grin was almost certainly gone.

"It was when I was fighting the pigeon guy." he said quietly, "There was a point I thought I was beaten. That I might die." He swallowed loudly, Nami felt herself do the same, the air around them suddenly seemed that much colder, "I made a promise to Ace that we'd both without regrets. When I was laying there, I realised that I had one regret. That I never got to tell you. I decided that once I got out, I would tell you straight away."

His tone had become reverential, recalling his near death experience. Nami felt the corner of her eyes begin to sting. That battle had tough on Luffy. Tough on them all. She never realised how close Luffy was to being beat.

"Then why didn't you? You had a couple days were you could have said it."

Luffy just chuckled lightly, "I tried! But it turns out it's a lot harder than it seems, shishishi!" he laughed, "I kept thinking about what Robin said, but I finally got over it, but that's when you wanted space."

Nami couldn't help but laugh. They were kind of like ships passing in the night.

"I'm glad you told me, Luffy." she said, then leaned towards him slightly, "Because, I wanna tell you a secret."

"And what's that?" he asked, innocently.

He had no clue where this was going. Nami leaned in even more. So close her lips were right up by his ear. She could feel the heat radiating off his skin, despite the chilly winds.

"I like you too."

Luffy's head spun around so fast that if he weren't made of rubber his neck would have snapped.

"What!? You mean it!" He shouted, far too loud for how close she as to him.

Nami grinned back at him, "Yup!"

"WOOHOO!" Luffy leaped to his feet and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"SSSHHHHHH!" Nami hissed back, almost a loudly, "You're gonna wake everyone up dumbass!"

"Shishishi! Sorry, sorry, I'm just really happy, ya know?" He plopped back on the ground easily.

Nami couldn't blame him. This whole night was building up to be a bad one, what with the discussion with Zoro and Robin, followed by the inevitability of having to face Luffy, but right now Nami felt on top of the world. Luffy just up and telling her lifted a weight off her shoulders she didn't even know she had. It was liberating. Now Nami basking in the joy that coursed through her.

"So, uhh, what now?" Luffy asked, sounding unsure.

"You don't know what happens between two people who are together?"

"No! I do! I didn't think this far ahead." Luffy admitted, "I was just gonna tell you and then move on."

At least he was still Luffy. With the frightening amount of maturity he had been showing she was starting to get worried.

"Well, firstly, we need to set some ground rules-" Nami was cut off by Luffy groaning.

"Oi! This is important, take it seriously!" Nami snapped, he could at least hear her out "We still need to keep some semblance of a working relationship, you hear?" she tapped him on the nose, "There's other people on this ship too, we have to take them into consideration as well."

"Ah you're right." Luffy said, then chuckled, "I don't think Sanji will be too happy."

Oh yeah, Sanji. That was gonna be a barrel of monkeys for sure, but that was a fiasco for later.

"Definitely not." Nami laughed, "But, we'll worry about all that tomorrow. We got things to do."

More accurately; she had a thing she wanted to do.

"And what's that?"

Nami didn't answer him, instead placing her fingers under his chin. She stroked her thumb up and down his chin until she found his lower lip. Using this as a guide she slowly leaned in. Moving her hand away, Nami closed the distance.

It was… nice.

It wasn't what romantic novels would have her believe. No sparks, no fireworks, no nothing. Just the two of them kissing.

And it was nice.

Both of them were very inexperienced with this sort of thing. Nami had never kissed anyone properly before, outside of small pecks on the cheek, and she doubted Luffy ever had either, but she'd been wrong before. That didn't matter, they'd both get better at it. What was important was it felt right. Like she had made the right choice.

A few seconds passed before Nami finally pulled back. She couldn't see Luffy's reaction, but she hoped it was like hers. A wide, uncontrollable grin across her face.

"I like that." Luffy stated bluntly.

"Really now?" Nami teased, "Only 'like'. Here I was hoping for something stronger."

"Can we do it again?" Luffy asked, apparently not hearing her.

Nami giggled, "I'd very much like that, but-" she grabbed Luffy's arm and stood up, dragging her Captain with her, "Let's get inside, where it's a little warmer."

Luffy didn't say anything, and let Nami lead him towards the lounge. Nami herself felt climbing to the crow's nest and yelling to the world what had just happened, but she refrained. There more pressing matters to attend to. Like practice. Lots of it.

.o0o.

_**~When good things finally come to pass~**_

_**(Note: Here it is! The big one! And hoooly hell was it a doozy to write! It's my longest chapter to date, hell my longest piece of writing in general! I only hope I did it all justice. I'll be lying if I said I wasn't nervous writing this. I spent **__**ages**_ _**writing and rewriting scenes for whatever BS reason my brain gave me.**_

_**More importantly, I hope you all liked it! 'Cause if not then I've done a whoopsie.**_

_**Anyway, so I've decided. Once I reach the timeskip, Imma put this story on hiatus for a wee while. I have another story I wanna do, but I only have time to work on one story. The bright side is that the one I have planned should be quite short (only 10 chapters or so) so this should be back before long. **_

_**That's neither here nor there at the moment, as by my estimates I have 4-5 more chapters till then.**_

_**For everyone wanted to see different POV chapters, I think the next two chapters will do you all nicely.**_

_**Either way, thank you for reading!**_

_**Next up is The Fallout..."**_


	13. The Fallout

_**~The Fallout~**_

.o0o.

Usopp wasn't sure, but something was different. Something about today was off. Like coming home to find a lamp had been moved an inch to the left. Only he'd come home, but had yet to figure out what had moved. Everyone seemed on form, no fallings out or awkward conversations, so that couldn't be it.

It could have been his imagination. After all, he'd spent the better part of a week away from the crew— excluding those times he loitered outside their hotel window— and now he'd come back to a ship that wasn't Merry. Everyone was probably just finding their feet again. But Usopp was convinced something was up.

From his position on Sunny's upper deck, Usopp watched Nami and Luffy spar. It had long since become part of their morning routine. Not long after breakfast, the pair would pick up their weapons and go at each other for a couple hours. Usopp wasn't sure what which was more surprising; Nami actually fighting Luffy or Luffy using a weapon somewhat competently. Granted, said weapon was a pipe, and he was just swinging it around like a lunatic, but he clearly had more experience with it than say something like a sword or a gun.

Currently, the Captain was chasing Nami's mirages trying to find her, all while having to dodge various hot and cold attacks. Nami sure had come a long way. When they started their training just after Skypiea, she barely lasted half an hour. Now she was going a full two hours and only coming out slightly beaten and bruised.

Usopp had been jealous of her [at first]. He felt horrible about it now, it wasn't fair on her, but going into Water 7 seeing Nami improve like she had made him feel like he'd been falling further behind everyone else. He made sure to apologize to Nami over breakfast. Now watching her fight was inspiring!

He watched Nami trade a couple blows with Luffy, then duck out of the way, barely dodging a vicious uppercut by millimeters. Luffy let her get a bit of distance to set up more mirages, before suddenly closing the distance while she was mid maneuver. It was making Usopp want to train like that!

Just… not with Luffy.

Besides just wanted to figure the weird thing going on.

Originally, he thought it might be Nami and Luffy, what with the former seemly avoiding the latter. Though that idea was hit on the head pretty quick as when Nami joined them for breakfast that morning. She had plopped right down beside Luffy and they began chatting animatedly with him like nothing was up.

So… what else could it be? Robin was sitting behind him, laid out on a lawn chair reading the morning paper, though given the smirk on her face, Usopp would bet she was currently eavesdropping on someone and gathering some tasty gossip. Best to leave that be. Usopp had long since written off the things Robin knew as 'Eldritch Knowledge that no Mortal Mind Should Even Try to Comprehend'. No matter how juicy.

Other than that, it was business as usual from her.

Chopper, if Usopp recalled, had gone into his new infirmary to check out his new equipment and update the medical records he kept. Either that or he was playing in his swivel chair. The odds were 50-50 really, so nothing special there, so far.

Franky was still in bed. Not really surprising given the guy worked non-stop building The Thousand Sunny. Working multiple days and nights without so much as a break will really take it out of a guy, Cola-powered cyborg or not. Besides, Franky had only just joined, Usopp didn't know him well enough to know if he was acting weird or just acting like Franky.

Zoro was currently asleep at the helm, an empty sake bottle laying on the ground beside him. Nothing special there, either.

The only one left was Sanji and he was currently skipping up the stairs, a tray with coffee and sandwiches balanced on one hand with the other buried deep in one of his trouser pockets. He hummed his way over to Robin, placing the tray on the small table beside her.

Robin smiled up at him and thanked him graciously. It was still kind of weird hearing Robin call everyone by their given names after so long of her using the titles she gave them. But, if it meant she was finally comfortable around them now, Usopp couldn't say anything against it.

Sanji, quite predictably, lost it over the sight of Robin both smiling and thanking him, extolling the virtues of beauty, grace, and kindness that Robin had just displayed. All while dancing around with hearts in his eyes. Usopp would never understand why Sanji acted like that around women. You'd think he was starved of affection when he was a kid or something…

Still, nothing seemed out of place. It was probably just his imagination, Usopp conceded. Best to just forget about it and move on. He still needed to have a proper look around the workshop Franky made for him. Have a proper and rummage through the bits and bobs he'd been gifted. It was still early in the day and the sniper had a lot to get through.

He turned his attention back to Nami and Luffy's training. They should almost be finished by now. Usopp looked down at the lawn deck and sure enough the pair were standing side by side drinking deeply from their water bottles. Both of them were covered in sweat and Nami sporting some quickly forming bruises.

But Usopp's trained eye spotted the mischievous glance Luffy sent at Nami who was completely unaware. If Usopp were a decent man, he would have warned Nami of the impending danger. But he wasn't.

The rubber man spun around and squirted the navigator in the face with water from his bottle. Going by the muffled snort of laughter that came from behind him, Usopp figured out just who Robin was spying on. Thankfully, Sanji was too busy fawning over Robin to have noticed.

Nami stood, water dripping from her hair and face, her own bottle clutched tightly in her hand. Usopp laughed seeing the look on her face. He knew it well. War had been declared, and Nami was all too willing to fight. Luffy clutched at his stomach as he laughed openly at her, oblivious. Now it was his turn to be caught unawares as Nami retaliated in kind, spraying his face with water.

Times like this were fun. When he could laugh at the misfortune of others with no risk of retaliation. Schadenfreude at its finest. Robin was enjoying the show as well, trying to muffle her giggles, lest she bring Sanji's attention to it. Who knew how he'd react to seeing Nami treated so disrespectfully? Usopp would be lying if he said he wasn't curious.

Luffy opened his bottle and poured the rest of its contents over Nami's head, who once again replied with a face-bound squirt of water. Luffy was prepared, however and ducked underneath it easily. In a show of maturity, he stuck out his tongue to mock her attempt.

Nami took exception to this.

She picked up her Clima-tact and began chasing Luffy all around the lawn deck. She swung furiously, hoping the extra reach would give her the edge. Luffy was proving too slippery, however. He had put enough distance between them that he turned to run away from Nami, just so he could pull more faces at her.

A bold move, Usopp thought. Luffy was increasing the amount of fun to be had, but the trade-off was an exponential increase to the amount of damage he would take when he inevitably fucked up. Nami always did have a way of hurting Luffy, despite his rubber body. No one was sure how, but she managed it.

This proved prophetic as Nami got wise to Luffy's antics and used her weapon to catch Luffy's foot on the back step. Luffy, clearly not expecting such a turn of events, got his footing tangled up The caught foot collided with the other, sending him hurtling to the ground. Nami capitalized on this and pounced on Luffy, pinning him to the ground.

Game, set, and match, Usopp nodded to himself. It was a good contest between two good combatants, but Luffy's show of hubris was his downfall. Now it was time for the fallout. Usopp grinned. It should fun, seeing as Nami had pinned the rubber man.

She was using her four limbs to hold down Luffy's, utilizing her entire weight to hold him down. Their faces were close together, only inches apart. It was quite the provocative position the two found themselves in.

Usopp glanced over his shoulder. Sanji was tucking the tray he came with under his arm, asking Robin if there was anything else she needed and if there was anything in particular she wanted for lunch. Either Nami would realize what position she was in and freaked, or Sanji would and freaked. Usopp chuckled to himself, either one would be fun.

Robin coughed suddenly into her hand. Sanji, who had made to leave, immediately swung right back around to her, checking if she was okay. Usopp took that as a bad sign. He looked back down to the Captain and Navigator pair, and what he saw nearly made him choke on his tongue. All of a sudden, the thought of Sanji finding them in an unfortunate position was no longer funny. It had become a world-ending scenario.

The short distance between their faces has become nothing, as Nami had lowered her head, and Luffy lifted his with their lips meeting in the middle.

They were making out in the middle of the deck.

Usopp slowly turned back around to Sanji, dread running through his veins like poison. Robin was coughing furiously into her hand, though it was sounding an awful lot like she was hiding laughter. Of course she'd be laughing, with the possibility of an apocalypse on the horizon! Usopp wanted Sanji to freak out at Luffy, NOT KILL HIM!

Robin waved Sanji off, and got control of her coughing fit. She insisted that she didn't need to see Chopper and that she just swallowed wrong. Sanji reluctantly bought it and turned to leave.

The dread Usopp felt turned to horror. He glanced over his shoulder quickly to see Nami and Luffy still sucking face. He needed to think, and fast!

Usopp leapt from his spot by the railing and made to block Sanji's view down the stairs, where the 'couple' could be seen clearly.

"O-O-Oi! Sanji!" Usopp yelled, getting in the cook's way.

"Hm? What do you want, Usopp?" Sanji muttered, clearly annoyed.

Usopp began to panic. He needed to say something quickly. His eyes darted around rapidly, trying to find something to talk about. An idea sprung forth when he saw Robin smiling merrily at them over her newspaper.

"A-Aren't you gonna ask me what I want for lunch?" Usopp desperately pleaded, trying his to hide his fear.

Sanji just scowled at him. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Uhh… uhhh." Usopp stammered, his heart pounding in his ears, "B-Because it's the nice thing to do?"

Sanji looked distinctly unimpressed with him. "No," he grunted.

He tried to walk past Usopp but the sniper kept getting in his way, blocking both his view and the stairs. Sanji's brow twitched, clearly getting irritated.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Nothing. What are you going?" Usopp retorted, fumbling his words

Sanji sighed, "You're acting weird, Usopp. Get out of my way."

Usopp felt like losing it. Had Nami and Luffy moved? Had they stopped? He couldn't check or he'd give it away. What did he do?

Out of desperation, he looked over Sanji's shoulder at Robin, and in a moment of serendipity, they two of them were on the same page as to what the other was trying to do. Usopp looking to her for some kind of out and Robin responding with a thumbs up, signaling the coast of clear.

"Oh! Y-Yeah, you're right." Usopp admitted, "Sorry, Sanji."

Sanji narrowed his eyes at Usopp, suspicious of his actions, but said nothing when the sniper stepped aside. With that, the chef disappeared down the steps. When Usopp himself turned to check, Nami and Luffy were also gone.

All the strength in his legs gave out and Usopp dropped to the floor, his knees shaking. Robin had gone back to chuckling behind her paper. How she could be so unbothered by this was a mystery. She must have known something! But then again, that probably fell under the 'Eldritch Knowledge' category that Usopp liked to remain blissfully unaware of.

At least he now knew what was going on with today. It was Nami and Luffy. Just not for the reason's initially suspected. Looking back on it, it all made sense. When Nami joined them for breakfast, she sat closer to Luffy than before, there was little-to-no personal space between them. Their shoulders and elbows kept rubbing, but not from getting in each other's way, instead it was more like they were seeking each other out.

Then when they were talking, Nami words were a lot more flirtatious than normal, and they weren't bouncing off Luffy's head with an audible gong. How had Usopp not noticed this!? The only explanation was that he did but his brain actively tried to pretend it wasn't happening, thus giving him that sense of something being off.

Usopp rolled on to his back with a groan. One thing was for sure;

Today would not be fun.

.o0o.

Chopper had been keeping himself incredibly busy today. From sorting out new medical equipment, to playing in his swivel chair, to updating the medical records of the crew, to playing in his swivel chair.

Very busy indeed.

He was so happy to actually have his own swivel chair! The personal infirmary was nice too. It would make treating the crew so much easier now that he had the actual equipment needed and wasn't using table tops as impromptu medical chairs. Everything was so clean and sterile! It was wonderful! Which reminded him, he needed to organize with the crew to put them all through a medical. Chopper had done so when he first joined, but given limited supplies and places to work, they hadn't been too thorough, but now that was no longer an issue!

Chopper spun around in his chair once more with a joyful 'squee' when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he called.

Nami walked in followed closely by Luffy's head. They had most likely just finished training for that day. Curiously they were both dripping with water.

"Hi, Nami," Chopper greeted. "Do you need anything?"

"Mhm, I took a couple bad knocks in training and wondered if you could have a look at them," Nami responded.

"Sure! Can do!" Chopper hopped off his chair and walked towards the medical table. "Luffy do you need anything?"

His Captain shook his head. "Nope! I just wanted to say hi! I'll be going now!"

Chopper just laughed. "Thank you, Luffy. See you later."

He changed to his heavy point and rolled out a clean layer of tissue paper over the medical table. Nami and Luffy looked at each other before sharing a chaste kiss. Nami then put her hand on Luffy's face and pushed him out the door with a soft 'see you.'

What was that?

"Take you shoes off and sit on the table, Nami," Chopper ordered as he moved to wash his hands.

Nami complied, removing her shoes, setting them to the side, and hopping up onto the table.

"So what can I do you for, Nami?" Chopper asked, putting on his 'professional' voice.

"I took a couple hard blows in training there." she explained, gesturing to two particularly nasty welts. One on her right shoulder and the other on the back of her left knee. "I just wanted to see if they'll cause any bother."

Simple enough. Chopper placed a fresh sheet into his clipboard and set to work. Starting with her should, he lifted her arm by the elbow with one hand and let her hand rest gently in the other. Chopper moved Nami's arm around, testing the range of movement in the joint, taking note of when and where she winced.

A minute or so of this and he covered all the necessary movements. Chopper jotted down the information gathered, along with a description of the wound just in case it changed much. He then set about her knee.

"Hey, Nami?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you kiss Luffy before?" he asked, moving her knee back and forth.

"Well, we're-" Nami hissed in pain from one particular movement, "-it's because we're together now," she explained.

"You mean romantically?" He was familiar with human mating rituals—he was a doctor after all—but he had to be sure, lest there be some kind of confusion later down the line.

"Yup!" Nami confirmed happily.

"Aww! That's really cool! I'm so happy for you guys." Chopper said, smiling widely smiled up at his friend. He didn't care much for romantic relations for other humans, but if it was between his friends, he was all for it!

"Thanks, Chopper," Nami laughed. "I appreciate it."

"So do the others know?" he inquired.

"Not yet, we're still figuring out a way to tell everyone," Nami replied with a shrug, "I'm for just waiting till we're asked or they just find out on their own, but Luffy just wants to straight up tell everyone outright."

"Which probably isn't the best because of-"

"Sanji. Yes." Nami intercepted him with a sigh, "I don't think he'll take it too badly, but I just don't want him to lose it."

Chopper let go of Nami's leg and returned to his seat, taking more notes. "That might be wishful thinking."

Nami sighed again. "Most likely. I'm probably gonna have to beat some sense into him regardless. Or at the very least, stop him before he loses it."

Chopped hummed his agreement. "Even then, he won't be happy about it for a long time."

"That's true," Nami said wearily, "Luffy and I agreed we'd try not to show too much PDA around him, but even then, it's not like we owe him anything. We just don't want him distraught all the time."

"That's a fair point," Chopper agreed, finishing his notes, "but who knows? Maybe he won't take it too badly."

"We can only hope."

Chopped stood from his seat and went to his cabinet of medical supplies. "You're good to go, Nami. Your shoulder will be just fine. Nothing cracked or broken. It's just going to be very sore for the rest of the day." He rummaged through the supplies trying to find a particular item. "Your knee might be a bit of a problem once it swells fully. It'll probably hinder your movement somewhat."

Found it! Chopped pulled out a small round tub of cream and handed it to his patient. "Apply some of this to the one on your knee. It should help keep the swelling down a bit. Just make sure to cover the whole welt, alright?"

Nami took it graciously. "I will. Thanks a bunch, Chopper!" She pulled him in for a quick hug before walking out of the infirmary with only a slight limp.

Chopper sat back down and swapped back to his brain point. He was happy for Luffy and Nami. They both deserved all the happiness they could get. Of course, telling Sanji would most likely be a trial, but that for later.

Chopper spun himself in his chair once more, giggling merrily.

He had important business to attend to.

.o0o.

Sanji was having a good day. A very good day in fact. His morning training routine went well.

The crow's-nest-turned-workout-room was a perfect place to get his sets in. Good on Franky for including that in the ship's designs.

The kitchen had also continued to impress Sanji. The equipment that Sunny had been stocked with was top of the line! The only better stuff out there was in full five-star restaurants. With all these new toys to work with, Sanji felt like he could finally flex his culinary muscles, something he certainly planned on for lunch today. It was still a few hours off so he had some time to plan.

Having just left Water 7, they were not wanting for supplies, so Sanji was thinking something special today. He had asked Robin-dearest what she would like for lunch, but like the wonderful woman she was, she was not particularly partial to anything.

Maybe Nami dearest would have something in mind? He would have to ask her when she was finished with Chopper.

Nami was working so hard to be stronger! She was such an amazing woman, and they were all lucky to have her!

Admittedly, Sanji hadn't been too happy when he discovered her new training regime with the idiot captain. In his defense, he wasn't given a good first impression walking out on deck to find Nami being chased by Luffy wielding lead pipe. It was a misunderstanding that was quickly remedied. Though Sanji may or may not have threatened his captain's life should he cause any lasting damage to Nami's beautiful body.

Luffy took it in stride.

Thankfully, Nami was showing great improvements as a fighter. Luffy, while not going all out on her, could hardly be accused of holding back, and it was yielding decent results. Even if it was just making Nami better at avoiding incoming attacks.

Sanji plugged in the code and opened the fridge. Maybe having a nice, cold fruity would do Nami dearest nicely when she finished with Chopper? It wouldn't take too long to whip up, so he set about it.

Luffy was hanging around the table just outside the kitchen area, oddly quiet. He'd yet to start begging for food—which was concerning by itself—and was just staring at the infirmary door, waiting for Nami most likely.

"You okay there, Luffy?" Sanji asked over his shoulder.

His captain let out a pathetic sigh, and slouched deeper into his seat, strangely wet hair flopping on to his face. "Yeah, just waiting for Nami."

"You do realize she's just on the other side of the door?" Sanji said noted, peeling an apple. "She'll be out in a minute."

"I know!" Luffy whined, "It just feels like forever!"

Sometimes Sanji found it hard to believe that this was the man he pledged his life and dream to.

"Well just be patient. I want to see Nami dearest too, but I'm not whining about it." Sanji cored the apple and dropped it in the juicer.

Then as if summoned by the sound of her name, the infirmary door opened and Nami stepped out. All the bruises and marks on her body were a bit more visible than when she went in, but that didn't matter as she looked as radiant as ever!

"NAMI DEAREST~!" Sanji yelled, the feeling of love overtaking him, as he leapt over the counter top to greet her. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT? THIS BARBA-"

Sanji was cut off when Luffy barged in front of him, knocking him to the ground. Just who did that shitty rubber bastard think he was?

"Nami! You're okay, right?" Luffy asked sounding unusually concerned. "You're not hurt too bad, are you?"

Nami was wide eyed for a second, also not expecting Luffy to barge in front like that, but she smiled sweetly at him. "I'm fine, Luffy," she said, holding up a small tub of cream. "Chopper just gave me something for the swelling on my knee."

She pointed to an angry, red welt on the back of her knee. It filled Sanji with a righteous fury to see Nami in such a state, but he held onto it knowing it was helping her get stronger.

Luffy grinned brightly at her. "I'm glad!"

Nami just pat him affectionately on the cheek. God how Sanji wished she'd do that to him.

"Also, thank you, Sanji," she smiled, turning to the cook still smiling, "but I'm fine."

And like that everything in the world was okay.

"I'M SO GLAD, NAMI DEAREST~!" Sanji exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "YOU'RE DOING SO WELL IN YOUR TRAINING~!"

"I'm glad you think so." she said.

Sanji stepped in front of her and bowed. "Would the lovely lady care for a refreshing drink?"

"That would be lovely," Nami answered. "I'll have it out on deck if that's alright with you."

"But of course! It will take but a few minutes." Sanji retreated to the kitchen to continue with the beverage before remembering the other thing he wanted to ask. "Also, Nami dearest?"

"Yes, Sanji?" she replied just as she and Luffy were heading for the door out on deck.

"Is there anything you'd like for lunch today?"

"I'd like meat!"

"NOBODY ASKED YOU!"

Nami laughed at them. "I'm feeling like pasta today, Sanji. You have anything for that?"

Did he have anything? It was like asking if the sun had heat to share! Of course he did!

"For you, my dear, anything." Sanji responded, as suave as could be.

Nami just laughed again and walked outside, Luffy following closely behind. Sanji might have imagined it, but his captain didn't look to happy, and it certainly didn't have anything to do with him being denied meat. How strange…

Sanji went back to work on the drink, humming blissfully to himself. Today was a good day, and no amount of odd behavior from Luffy or Usopp would change that.

With a few more minutes of work, the drink was complete. The perfect cocktail of fruits, chilled to the perfect temperature with a presentation to die for. Nami would love it.

Sanji placed the drink on a silver tray, balanced it on one hand, and walked out to hand it to his lovely Nami.

Opening the door to the deck, he quickly spotted Nami sitting on the lawn deck below, against the railing of the ship. Luffy, however, was sitting obnoxiously close. He'd have to be told to move.

As Sanji approached them, he spotted something resting on Nami's hip. It clearly wasn't part of her deliciously wet shirt, that was for sure. Being as smooth as he was, Sanji slid down the bannister toward her.

"Oh, Nami dearest!" Sanji called as he strode over to her, "I hav-"

His voice caught in his throat as he realized just what that thing on Nami's hip was.

A hand.

And not just any hand.

Luffy's hand.

Luffy's filthy mitt was currently wrapped around Nami's delicate waist. It looked like he was trying to force her to lean into him. That bastard! He had gone too far! Sanji could understand the way he trained Nami— it was for her own good after all—but this? This was inexcusable!

"JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO NAMI, YOU SHITTY BASTARD!" Sanji all but screamed at the top of his lungs.

He was going to kick Luffy's head in so hard it would come out of his ass! There would be no coming back for him after this! Sanji would peel him limb from limb, for touching his Nami dearest like that!

Sanji stalked towards Luffy, murderous intent radiating off of him in waves. He kept enough about himself not to throw the drink and immediately leap at his soon-to-be-former captain. It was taking a lot of self-restraint, however.

Nami leapt to her feet, hands up in a placating manner. "Sanji, calm down!" she called to him desperately. "We can explain!"

Her words didn't reach him. He was too intent on Luffy.

Luffy just stood up nonchalantly, and waited for what was to come. He was ready to stand his ground.

Sanji marched past Nami, passing the tray off to her as he went, and straight up to Luffy, grabbing him by the collar of his vest.

"Explain yourself, shithead!" Sanji shouted point blank at him. "What makes you think you can do that to Nami dearest, huh?! Just 'cause you're the captain doesn't mean you can treat the women on this ship however you want! What do you have to say for yourself!?"

Luffy met his gaze easily, "She let me," he answered, his tone was uncharacteristically hard.

Sanji scoffed at him. "Like fuckin' hell she'd like a dumbass like you hold her like that," he practically spat. He shook Luffy hard to get his point across, almost lifting him off the ground in the process. "Just because she didn't push you away doesn't mean she let you!"

"Sanji, stop!" Nami shouted from behind him. She carefully placed the tray on the ground and stepped around it to get closer to them.

Sanji looked back at her. "Stop? You know how he was holding you! I should beat the shit out of him here and now for doing that to you!"

Nami grabbed him roughly by the shoulder, spun him around and smacked him across the face.

Sanji let go of Luffy and stumbled back several steps. The ringing in his ears was deafening and the sharp stinging on his face confirmed it, Nami had slapped him. Not a punch or a smack when he went overboard with Zoro, but a smack. Sanji would be lying if he wasn't a bit in shock.

"Nami…" he breathed quietly, holding his reddening cheek.

"Are you ready to listen, Sanji?" she growled.

He just nodded dumbly.

"Good. Now listen carefully," she ground out. "Luffy had his arm around me because I let him. Understand?"

So she actually did let him? Luffy wasn't taking advantage of her?

"That wasn't rhetorical," Nami snapped, "Do you understand?"

"Y-Yeah." Sanji stuttered, reeling from this turn of events.

"Good," she declared. "I'm only going to explain this once. I like Luffy, and he feels the same about me. And before you ask; yes, I do mean romantically."

That winded Sanji completely. Nami and Luffy were… an item? In a romantic relationship? How did that happen? Luffy was capable of romantic feelings? But, why? But, how? His brain struggled comprehend the information presented to him.

He stood still as a post for what felt like hours. Nami glaring harshly and Luffy looking between the two of them with a blank stare.

Finally, Sanji came to terms with this revelation. He still couldn't fully understand it, but he'd at least processed all of it. He had jumped to the wrong conclusion and acted rashly. Not just rashly, but in a way that could have seen him kicked off the crew, all because he couldn't wait to hear the full story.

Sanji had always tried to act in Nami and Robin's best interests when it came to other men. Sure, he trusted those on the crew, but every other man out there, not so much. Yes, they could both look out for themselves, but it never hurt to have someone at your back in that regard. Sanji always told himself that he'd back them like this until they found good men they could trust.

And in one fell swoop, Sanji almost ruined that with Nami.

"I-I understand," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "I apologize for acting so rashly. Please forgive me."

Sanji bowed deeply towards both of them. He couldn't see them, but he almost heard the exchanging of glances between the two.

"We forgive you." Nami finally said, signaling for Sanji to stand up straight.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to go back inside, prepare lunch, and deal with what had happened on his own.

Nami pulled him into a hug, that in any other circumstance would have sent him wild, but he just leaned into and hugged her back.

"Thank you for looking out for me, Sanji." she said softly, "I really appreciate it. You're a good man… just try not to get ahead of yourself, next time. Okay?"

Sanji nodded silently.

After a few more seconds, Nami finally let go.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get changed!" she declared, before walking off towards the woman's quarters.

Sanji felt completely deflated. Today had been such a good day. He just needed some time alone now.

As he made to walk off, Luffy clapped him on the shoulder. They shared a glance. Luffy nodded, showing there was no hard feelings, but the point had been made. Don't do it again.

Sanji went back upstairs and into the kitchen. He heaved a weighty sigh, before inhaling and letting out an almighty yell;

"GODDAMN IIIIIIIIT!"

.o0o.

_**~Mistakes happen~**_

_**(Note: It's late. I can't barely remember what I wanted to put here. I've been working on this all day. **_

_**I did my best to stay true to Sanji's character. In a situation like this, he's more upset at Luffy making an unwanted move on Nami than him just making a move on Nami… if that makes sense.**_

_**Also, given how forward both Nami and Luffy are, I'd say they'd go right into their "honeymoon" period right away, completely circumventing any awkwardness, but that's just me.**_

_**Thank you so much to **__**SwordOfTheGods **__**for beta-ing this chapter! Check out their story 'Coby's Choice'. It's REALLY good. Though tbh, if you've read this, you've already read that.**_

_**I have a wee up poll on my profile. Nothing much, just something for the long term...**_

_**Next chapter is post Thriller Bark. Things get heavy)**_


	14. The 13th Night

~The 13th Night~

(Warning: Absalom is not taken lightly.)

.o0o.

Luffy sat on a pile of rubble outside the remains of the mansion on Thriller Bar, waiting for Nami. The giant ship had long since sailed out of the Florian Triangle and was bathing in the rays of the setting sun. A breeze rustled the trees, fresh air slowly cleansing the stale, muggy air of the Florian Triangle that tried to cling to the island ship. Luffy was glad to feel the shift.

Thriller Bark was cool. Really cool. Luffy would more than happily admit that. It had so much going for it. From old men with giant flesh wounds to three headed dogs and giant horned monsters. Luffy had never seen anywhere like it!

The fact it was run by a Warlord made it even better, even if said Warlord looked like a giant leek. Luffy really wished they hadn't been in such a rush to beat him; he would have really loved to have fought The Leek properly. But he needed to get his crew's shadows back, so there was nothing he could do about it.

The whole adventure on the island sized pirate ship—another awesome thing about this place—was so much fun. It was like a horror fun house, but you actually got to fight everything!

Such a shame it wasn't actually all that scary.

But despite all of this, Luffy didn't like Thriller Bark. It was cool, but he really didn't like it. The once spooky and eerie atmosphere had dissipated with the exit from the Florian triangle, leaving the ship feeling just… worn, like patchwork. It was kinda sad. Not sad sad, but depressing sad. It was as if Thriller Bark was on its last legs.

Luffy didn't like it.

But it wasn't just that. The fact that three members of his crew were nearly turned to dust by the rising sun wasn't something that Luffy was comfortable with. Sure, it was all over now, and as such didn't really matter, but it they kept meeting foes like the Leek going forward, Luffy didn't know if he could protect them all…

Luffy shook his head, ridding himself of such thoughts. Worrying about what was to come wouldn't do anything. He'd just end up being unable to enjoy whatever adventure was happening at the time, and what was the point in that?

Still… that didn't mean it didn't piss him off! Who was he to go around stealing the shadows of Luffy's friends? Trying to relegate their lives to darkness. To take away their freedom! It made Luffy sick to his stomach.

The Leek didn't even have the decency to fight up front. He was hiding behind all his zombies, made from stolen shadows, letting them do all the fighting. It was only once his giant trump card got beat, did the Leek actually join the fight. Then he had the gall to proclaim his strength as one of the Seven Warlords! What a joke. All his strength was stolen. Taken from others and twisted for his own gain.

Luffy was all about wanting to get stronger. Hell, he was all about using others to find strength! But you had to do it on your own, not steal it! Not take away the freedom of others and use them as resources just because you weren't strong enough on your own.

The Leek claimed to have been like Luffy once, bright eyed and optimistic, only to crash into someone far stronger than himself, losing his whole crew in the process. He "learned how the world worked" and swore revenge. The Leek proclaimed that one day it would happen to Luffy and then he'd see.

Luffy couldn't dispute that, at one point, they had been alike, and that losing his entire crew overnight had driven the Leek to such extremes for revenge. But he would never drop to such scummy levels like the Warlord did.

Maybe one day they would run into someone far beyond anything they had dealt with prior, but Luffy trusted his crew. They were strong and knew what they were getting into. They would fight with all their might, throwing everything they could at the enemy, and if it wasn't enough, then it wasn't enough.

Even if Luffy was the last one alive, he would never insult their memory by becoming like the Leek. He'd swear revenge and kill the bastard who did it, sure, but he'd do it properly and not drag others into his own plight.

The sun dipped out of sight behind the trees. The dying, orange light still shone overhead, painting the cloudy sky brilliantly. A brisk wind whispered through the forest. It was definitely getting colder now. Looks like he and Nami would be spending the night inside.

Luffy sighed. This is why he never liked being alone. He always wound up dwelling on things he shouldn't, getting himself down over things in the past that could never change. The fact he didn't like it here certainly didn't help. Luffy would do his best to remember this adventure fondly. A cool and unique place run by a Warlord, where they gained a crew member in the form of a literal undead skeleton.

Now that was something Luffy liked. Brook was actually the coolest! An undead skeleton with an amazing sense of humour who, on top of all that, had an afro! A skeleton with an afro, how amazing was that!? And that wasn't even the best bit; he was a musician! Luffy finally had a musician for his crew! He was a swordsman, too, and a really good one at that. Maybe not as good as Zoro, but still really good.

Luffy grinned widely to himself. Goddamn if he didn't have the best crew out there.

Right now, everyone was waiting for Zoro to wake up before they could move on. Chopper said it should be soon enough given that he'd been out for two days at this point. Otherwise it was just too dangerous to move him onto the Thousand Sunny. So they waited.

Another chilling gust of wind blew through the trees, making Luffy shiver. Time to go inside, he decided. He stood up and walked back towards the mansion. Nami would probably be waiting inside. There's no way she'd want to stay outside if it got any colder, or windier.

Luffy remembered the night after Drum Island, where they sat under a thick blanket watching the snow by lamp light. The cold hadn't been too much of an issue then. He smiled fondly. Nami made the right call when she said to sit out that night. They hadn't even encountered snow since they left Drum, let alone come across another winter island.

That was such a nice night! Listening to Nami talk about her home island for the first time in forever was wonderful. Hearing the traditions they had when it came to snowfall and how they treated it like some major event in the year was so cool for Luffy. Hopefully he'd get to go back there one day and experience it for himself with Nami.

For Luffy, that night held a bit more meaning than a lot of the others. Seeing Nami speak so wistfully of home, her face illuminated by the orange glow of the lamplight, made Luffy realise just how beautiful she was.

Not just in the conventional way, but as a person. Luffy knew Nami was good looking, but then again, so was Robin—even if she wasn't with the crew at the time—and there weren't many who wouldn't acknowledge that fact. What that night made Luffy realise was just how beautiful he found all of Nami to be. From when she was at her best, riding the waver on Skypiea or robbing people blind, to her worst at Cocoyashi village and everything in between. Luffy found it beautiful.

Of course, it wasn't until after Skypiea when Robin basically told Luffy what all of that meant—on top of everything else—did he realise that he was in love with her, but that just made it all the better really.

Ever since that night on Water 7, everything had been amazing. Luffy never would have thought being in this kind of relationship would be so good. The best way he could think of putting it was that it was kind of like after he, Ace, and Sabo became brothers.

There was this deep-seated sense of happiness, knowing you have someone at your back who you can trust more than anyone. Luffy trusted his crew with his life, they were his closest friends. His family. There was nothing he'd willingly hide from them, but in the same vein, there was a quite a bit he would not outright tell them without them asking first. That wasn't the case with Nami. With her, Luffy felt comfortable sharing whatever came to mind, and just chatting about it.

Luffy told her about growing up with bandits and training with Grandpa, while she told him about being poor as a kid, and how she'd steal books from shops while trying to avoid Mr. Gen—who turned out to be the pinwheel guy who threatened Luffy's life if he ever made Nami sad.

It all felt like a whole other adventure that just the two of them were having, and something told Luffy, much to his excitement, that they had a long way to go!

But something happened

Ever since they defeated the Leek, Nami had been kind of… distant. Not closed off, just distant. She was still as open, fiery, and lively as ever, but she seemed to shirk away from any and all physical contact. Everything from Luffy wrapping his arms around her from behind to Usopp patting her shoulder seemed to put her on edge. Like she was preparing for a fight. It really wasn't like her.

Not only that, but she didn't seem to go anywhere by herself; she was always with someone else. Usually Lola or Robin. No one else seemed to notice. There were a lot of people staying in a relatively small space, it's only natural she'd been with someone, but that wasn't what bothered Luffy about it. What bothered him was that she always went everywhere with someone.

Normally Nami wouldn't care whether she was with someone or not when going places, but since coming to Thriller Bark, she seemed to stick to people's sides almost religiously. Luffy found it concerning to say the least. He had asked her the day before if she felt okay, but Nami just brushed it off saying that Thriller Bark was still freaking her out, and that she just felt better around other people.

He took her word for it.

Luffy entered the mansion, his footsteps echoed off the cold, stone walls. The grey stones that once held so much character in the form of haunted paintings, tapestries, and ornaments now lay bare and bland. The remains of the ghostly items lay strewn across the flow. Honestly, how anyone, let alone Nami, could find this place creepy anymore was beyond Luffy. It was just a dull house now.

Another set of echoing footsteps pulled Luffy out of his reverie. This particular hallway wasn't very well lit, so he couldn't see much farther than 20, maybe 30 feet ahead. It was a weirdly long corridor. Luffy continued walking forward, now anticipating whoever was up ahead. It wouldn't do well if he were to get scared just after he called this place dull.

A few more seconds of walking, the second pair of steps grew louder, and Luffy strained his eyes trying to spot who it was. The silhouette of a tall, thin figure formed in the shadows.

They finally got close enough for Luffy to see them clearly. It was Robin.

She was carrying several thick, dusty tomes, looking distractedly at the debris scattered on the ground.

"Hey, Robin," Luffy greeted.

Robin stopped and looked at him then smiled. "Oh, hello Luffy," she replied. "What brings you here?"

"I just came back inside," he shrugged. "It got cold out."

Robin 'hmm' her understanding, but said nothing.

"So what're you doing?" Luffy asked, eyeing the books she was holding. "Stealing books?"

"I thought it best to pilfer some of the more… collectable volumes among Moria and Hogback's collection," Robin answered with a light chuckle. "Better than to just leave them here, forgotten."

Luffy could never wrap his head around why books were valuable. They were just words on paper. But if Robin liked them then he wouldn't say anything against it.

"Neat!" Luffy smiled. "By the way, do you know where Nami is?"

Robin's smile faltered. It was a slight change that many wouldn't have noticed, but it was there. The corners of her lips dropped for a moment before raising back up. Her expression now ever so slightly strained.

"No, I can't say I do," she replied, keeping her tone light. "I did see her about a half-hour ago in the dining hall with Lola, if that helps."

That was weird. Luffy just asked if she knew where Nami was. Why the weird look? A connection sparked in Luffy's mind. It was a shot in the dark, but it might be something. He needed to ask.

"Robin do you know what's up with Nami?" Luffy asked. If she knew something, then maybe he could find out a way to help.

Luffy watched as Robin's expression strained once again, going through the same motions as before.

"Why do you ask?" Robin responded carefully.

She had to have known something. Luffy relayed his concerns over Nami. He could have been overreacting, but something in his gut told him something was wrong. Luffy's gut reactions were usually correct.

All expression drained from Robin's features as he spoke. By the end you'd be forgiven for thinking her face had been chiseled from stone.

"I see," she breathed.

Silence hung in the air. The two of them just gazing at the other, almost daring them to blink first. Her words all but confirmed that she knew. Luffy couldn't begin to imagine what was rolling through Robin's mind right now, but if it could let him help Nami with whatever maybe wrong, he wanted to know.

Robin broke first. She sighed and averted her eyes from her captain. Luffy couldn't help but notice how closed off she looked now. It was like she had just joined the crew for the first time again. Her posture looked relaxed, but Luffy could see the tension run through every muscle and sinew in her body.

"I will not lie to you, Captain." Robin spoke softly. Luffy felt a chill run down his spine at her use of his title. "I do know what's wrong with Nami, but I will not tell you. As much as I respect you, Luffy, this is something only Nami can speak of."

All pretense of pleasantness was gone. Luffy swallowed thickly and nodded his understanding. The weight of Robin's words was almost physical. He could feel his shoulders sag under their immense pressure.

"But," Robin continued, "I will have to ask you to not attempt to pry it out of her in any way. This is not something to be taken lightly. Nami will tell you when she is ready."

Once more, Luffy nodded. He kept quiet, finding himself unable to form words. It wasn't often that Robin would withhold information from him. She was usually the first to explain a situation to him, making sure he knew what was going on, regardless if he listened or not. So, for her to outright admit she was holding back, it must have been something bad.

Robin's cool demeanor cracked, and she smiled. "Thank you, Luffy," she said, the tension she once held dissipating. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She adjusted her grip on her books and walked past Luffy, the heels of her boots clicking against the stone floor.

Luffy just stood in place, not looking back at Robin. His mind awash with thoughts and feelings. He wanted desperately to know what had happened, what was so big that Robin wouldn't tell him, and that Nami didn't want him to know. But, in the same vein, he didn't. Right now, it wasn't his to know. The way Robin spoke filled Luffy with a sense of dread, and he didn't like it. He would just have to trust them.

Luffy began walking down the hallway once more. He needed to take his mind of this. What he needed was food.

Where was Sanji when you needed him?

.o0o.

For a building that was half destroyed, it was still incredibly hard for Luffy to find his way around it. It took him 45 minutes just to find the kitchen. The mansion was like a damned maze!

Thankfully, however, Sanji was still in the kitchen taking stock of food for the next day. He did, after all, have many mouths to feed, and until Zoro woke up, they couldn't exactly restock.

Of course, Sanji hadn't been too happy with his captain barging in, demanding food well past midnight, especially since it made him lose count of how many avocados they had. But, never one to turn away a mouth to feed, Sanji complied.

Luffy now sat in the dining hall, working his way through—by his standards, at least—a moderate sized platter of meats. He always marveled how Sanji could get the same type of meat to taste so different! The only way Luffy could describe it was that Sanji was magic. One piece was so succulent and juicy, while another tasted like barbecue. Where would they be without Sanji?

While Luffy contented himself by stuffing his face with a single piece of meat the size of his head, he only vaguely noticed someone approach. They pulled up a seat opposite him on the table. Luffy looked up to see who it was.

It was Nami.

Nami met his gaze with an amused smirk. She sat down with a ham sandwich in one hand and two beers in the other. She was dressed in jeans and a light blue sweater, with her hair pulled up in that half ponytail thing that she's had since they got to Thriller Bark. There were light bags forming under her eyes. Small, but there. Her hair looked like it hadn't been washed since they arrived, and was beginning to look wiry.

To Luffy, she looked as gorgeous as always.

"I see you also managed to twist Sanji's arm for more food," Nami quipped, placing the cap of the un-opened bottle on the edge of the table, then thumped it with the heel of hand, popping the cap off.

Luffy swallowed his mouthful of food. "I was hungry," he replied. "It's not like you actually have to try."

Nami chuckled. "True," she said taking a bite of her sandwich.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes while Luffy polished off another piece of meat and Nami took a few more bites. It was that companionable quiet that the two had become accustomed to. No need to talk, and Luffy didn't feel himself getting dragged down into rubbish thoughts.

"So what've you been up to all day?" Nami asked, taking a swig of beer.

"Not much, went exploring around the island," Luffy replied with a shrug. "It's kinda boring without all the fog and zombies. You?"

Nami hummed her agreement. "Yeah, doesn't quite have the same atmosphere does it?" She took another bite. "I found a crap tonne of treasure in Moria's personal quarters, so I spent the day with Lola counting it up."

That was to be expected. If it wasn't the Leek's money, it would be their own, even if buying the materials for the Thousand Sunny had taken up most of it.

"I also went up to that ghost girl's room," she continued. "I don't remember her name, but either way, she has the tackiest taste in clothes and almost no jewelry. Not to mention all she had were these super creepy dolls and plushies."

Luffy swallowed another bite of meat. "Yeah, the whole crew were a bunch of weirdos," he commented., "The Leek, that freaky doctor, and that other guy who could turn invisible, too."

Nami choked on her drink mid-swig, coughing violently into the sleeve of her sweater. Her bottle dropped on to the table, forgotten. Worried, Luffy stood and reached across the table to slap Nami on the back. She flinched under his initial hit, but allowed him to continue.

Finally, Nami managed to clear her throat and calm her coughing fit. Her beer had spilled over the table, away from their food and Nami's seat.

"Sorry about that," Nami said, hacking out the last couple coughs. "I think I swallowed wrong."

"Don't worry about it," Luffy said, picking up her second bottle. He bit into the side of the cap and, with a sharp tug, opened it with his teeth. "Here."

Her sudden choking had been caused by swallowing wrong, but it was all because he mentioned the invisible guy. She and Sanji had beaten him, so what was up?

He handed the bottle to Nami, who accepted it with a wink. "Gentleman," she commented lightly. "Why do you call Moria 'the Leek'? You never called Crocodile anything other than 'Croco' or whatever."

"It's 'cause I don't like him," Luffy uttered simply, biting into another piece of meat. "He tried to hurt you guys. I'm not gonna forgive him for that."

"And that nickname is your way of getting back at him, even after kicking his ass?" Nami took the last bite of her sandwich and washed it down with her newly opened beer.

"Mhm," Luffy hummed, then frowned slightly as he remembered something. "I thought you didn't like beer? Don't you only drink it at parties and stuff?"

Nami blinked, clearly not expecting the question. She looked at the green glass, then back to Luffy, "You're right. I'm surprised you remember. I only mentioned it that once, months ago. It tastes like piss, and does nothing for me." Then she took another deep drink.

"Then why are you drinking it now?" Much like himself, Nami was never one to do something she didn't like. It was always fancy stuff like whiskey or cocktails with her.

Nami shrugged carelessly, "Sometimes, I just wanna drink something shitty. That a problem?"

Luffy's concern spiked. He'd have believed her in any other situation. Hell, he'd have believed anyone who said that, even if he himself didn't understand it. But Luffy had never seen Nami do anything like this before. With the possible exception of parties where she drank her weight in beer.

This was no party.

It was another concern to add to the pile. It sat in his stomach like a rock. Sure, he may be overreacting, but if something was wrong, Luffy wanted to know. Back on her home island, he kept out of her business with Arlong until she asked him for help. It wasn't his place to intervene, but back then it was different. They weren't as involved as they were now.

To quote what Nami told him when laying down those ground rules; "We're a team now, you and I. We tackle our problems together."

How could Luffy help Nami if he didn't know what had happened?

Unlike Luffy, who barely had a single thought he could keep to himself, Nami would keep her darkest secrets with her to the grave. She still hadn't told Luffy about what happened between her and Arlong. It didn't really matter to him, but the point stood. Luffy didn't want her to go back to where she was back on Cocoyashi.

"No, it's just…" Luffy paused. "Nami, are you okay?"

Again, Nami blinked not expecting the question. Luffy would have to remember to apologise to Robin.

"I'm fine, Luffy," She answered, vaguely bewildered. "Do I not seem okay?"

"Not really, no," Luffy stated. "You've not been yourself since after we beat the Leek."

Nami raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And what makes you say that?"

"This morning when I tried to hug you, you acted like I was trying to stab you." Luffy replied.

"Yes, but you snuck up behind me," Nami retorted. "I feel pretty justified in that."

"I did yell out."

"And that's what scared me."

"Then how about when Usopp pat you on the shoulder yesterday?" Luffy asked. "You nearly broke his wrist."

"Okay, that one was my bad, but I did apologise to him," Nami admitted with a forced chuckle. Her smile becoming tight. "This place still has me on edge."

"Then why'd you say it had lost its atmosphere?" Luffy pressed, "You said it yourself, Nami. We're a team." He watched the heat rise up Nami's neck. Her fists balled tightly, knuckles turning white. Maybe he was pushing too much…

"Just 'cause it doesn't have the same atmosphere doesn't mean I feel safe here!" she snapped, slamming her fist onto the table. The plates and bottles jumped in place from the force.

The sudden outburst made Luffy startle. He stared at Nami, his jaw slack. She was seething through clenched teeth. He hadn't noticed how frustrated she was getting. He was so focused on finding out what was wrong, he couldn't see the pressure building. But that wasn't what got him most. What got him, was Nami's admission that she didn't feel safe.

Nami dropped her forehead into one hand, the other gripping at her bicep, near her tattoo. "Dammit…" she muttered.

"N-Nami, I-" Luffy stammered. It wasn't often he was lost for words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" He trailed off.

"Yeah, it's fine," she muttered darkly. "You'd have found out sooner or later."

The pit in his stomach told Luffy it wasn't fine. He watched Nami's shoulders rise and fall as she took deep, calming breaths. She had gone completely pale. Her hands were shaking something fierce.

"I don't feel safe here, Luffy." Her voice was shattered like fine glass, twinkling with emotion, but marred by her now ragged breathing. "Everywhere I go, it's like he's following me. I just want to get off this damned island."

Luffy sat in complete silence, both unable and unwilling to form words. Seeing Nami like this was making his heart twist. The normally strong and proud Nami was wilting in front of him, and he didn't know what to do.

Cautiously, Luffy reached across the table, aiming to place a hand on her shoulder. Wanting to, at the very least, attempt to offer some form of comfort. As soon as his finger tip brushed her covered shoulder, she flinched violently, as if shocked, making Luffy recoil.

"Please," she whispered in her broken tone. "Not right now."

Luffy pulled back his hands and clenched them tightly on his lap. Anxiety was building in him, there was nothing he could do right now.

Nami swallowed thickly and took another deep breath. "It was after we got to the mansion," she continued with no small amount of effort. "I was offered the chance to take a bath by Hogback and, like the idiot I am, I took it."

Luffy wanted to interject, tell her she wasn't stupid, but kept his mouth firmly shut.

"It was that bastard Absalom," Nami grit out, her words filled with vitriol and venom. "That bastard, he… he snuck in and tried to… he tried to…" She couldn't continue. Her voice failed her and she sobbed.

Luffy's blood ran cold. That absolute bastard. His heartbeat rang out in his ears like a cacophony of drums, it was almost deafening. Anger filled Luffy. A white-hot rage that set every nerve and muscle in his body alight. The urge, no, the need to find him and rip the man limb from limb almost overwhelmed Luffy…

Except it didn't. There was something more important than any need for revenge, no matter how justified. The woman he loved was sitting in front of him head in one hand, openly crying, while the other hand gripped her arm so tightly, Luffy feared she'd break skin. Absalom could wait. This was far more important. For now, he needed to listen.

Nami sniffed heavily, pulling herself together just enough to continue. "After that, he knocked me unconscious. I don't remember anything until I woke up. I was in a wedding dress, and Sanji and him were fighting. Th-The thing is, I-I don't know if between knocking me out and Sanji finding me, if… if he did anything. I just don't know."

Silently, Luffy stood. Pushing his now-cold plate of meat aside, he stepped up over the table and onto the other side, next to Nami. She didn't seem to have noticed. Her tears now ran silently down her cheeks. He sat on the chair next to her, but made no move to reach for her.

"It's all because I was so stupid and weak," she breathed, barely able to summon the strength to speak. "I've not been able to sleep. I can't do it without feeling his hands roaming over me again."

"Nami," Luffy uttered softly. "Please. Look at me."

It took a second, but Nami lifted her head from her hand. Her temples were red from where her hand had gripped at them, her eyes were bloodshot and tears feel freely. She met his gaze.

Luffy wanted so desperately to make it all better, but he couldn't. That wasn't how this worked. Makino and Dadan always told him that what that bastard did, or at least tried to do, was one of, if not the, worst thing you could do to a woman, as a human being.

"You're not weak or stupid," Luffy said firmly. "You're the strongest person I know, and I know a lot of strong people. I'm gonna get you off this island as soon as possible, so you never have to deal with this again. That bastard will never get within so much as a hundred feet of you. I promise, I'll keep you safe."

Nami hiccupped a sob and nodded. She didn't need to say anything more.

Luffy held out his hand in the middle of the space between them. An unspoken request of trust. Nami hesitated, but took it gently.

"You need sleep," Luffy stated.

He stood and Nami followed suit. Luffy lead them out of the dining hall hand-in-hand. He'd get Nami to bed and watch over her all night, just to make sure she was fully rested and ready for when they were able to leave.

Mentally, Luffy listed things he needed to do tomorrow. He needed to thank Sanji for saving Nami, apologise to Robin for breaking the promise he made her, and make up to Nami for being as forceful as he was.

It all just served to add more reasons as to why Luffy didn't like Thriller Bark.

.o0o.

~Some things will take time.~

(Note: This was really hard to write. It's taken me all week to get this done, but I strongly feel it was necessary. When planning this chapter about a month back, I wondered how Thriller Bark would affect their relationship. What happens during it that is relevant to Nami and Luffy's relationship? Nami's encounter with Absalom was the biggest thing to come to mind.

In the series it's just another horrible thing that the villains do to make us hate them, and is forgotten about pretty quickly. I understand why. One Piece is written with children in mind after all. But I couldn't let it slide. It would have a real effect on Nami and Luffy. Nami moreso. I wouldn't be doing their relationship justice if I just brushed passed it with some offhand comment.

If you do not agree, or dislike it, I understand.

Keeping them in character was difficult. I tried my best to keep to what I know about them, but it wasn't easy. Though, a bit of angst does make the wholesome, that much more so.

Thank you all for reading. Next week we're back to our regularly scheduled fluff and wholesomeness.

Beta-ed by SwordOfTheGods

Next chapter is Post-Strong World.)


	15. The 14th Night

_**~The 14th Night~**_

.o0o.

Nami laid back and watched the stars shine overhead. The sky was clear as far as the eye could see, nary a cloud in sight. A heavy chill, borne from the stillness of the air around her, settled its weight on the deck. It wasn't unpleasant, however. She was still red from her bath but, wrapped in a thick, woolen jumper, it was nothing other than welcome.

The gentle rocking of the Thousand Sunny against the waves reminded Nami of being back in her old hammock on Merry. It was so peaceful one could almost hear the stars twinkling. Nami could feel herself being lulled to sleep.

But how could she? The night was so beautiful, even as the shade of darkness hung around her like a cloak. The sky was full of light, connecting the stars like a twisting river. Despite the vast emptiness of the ocean around her and the colossal sky above, everything felt so close together. Like she could just reach up and pluck the moon out of the sky.

The only thing that mattered was that she was home and her friends were safe.

It had been almost two weeks since Thriller Bark, and a week since being taken to Merveille, or as the crew had come to call it: Strong World.

Being kidnapped by Shiki and his lunacy had not only delayed them a week straight up, but set them back farther on the Grand Line than where he found them. Making Shiki, in every way possible, a pain in the ass.

A cool breeze picked up, sending a wave of goosebumps across Nami's skin. She shivered. Maybe something more than a jumper and a pair of jeans was needed. Well, Luffy should be out soon, and she did ask him to grab a blanket.

Ever since they left Thriller Bark, things had gone well for Nami. It took a couple of days, but she began to feel safe again. Leaving that thrice-damned ship had been the major step. Then being so closely surrounded by her friends warded off the feeling of being watched by invisible eyes and helped her sleep at night as well.

Luffy had been dead set on his promise to keep her safe. For the first two days after leaving Thriller Bark, he spent almost every spare moment they had together by her side, standing on guard for anything untoward that came her way. It was endearing how earnest he was about it, though the thing Nami appreciated most was that he wasn't overbearing. He didn't get in the way of her doing anything and still acted like Luffy around her. It just meant every other moment he sat around looking intimidating, an effect lessened somewhat by the fact his cheeks were usually stuffed with food and had a cow bone sticking out the corner of his mouth.

It was like being guarded by a labrador. Faithful, earnest, and a little dopey. Though most labradors didn't stretch and couldn't push over a building with their bare hands. It was a point in Luffy's favour if you asked Nami.

After those first few days, Luffy seemed to realise that Nami was coming back to her old self. It was a talent of his that always amazed her. He could get a read on people like nobody else. Granted, he could never do much with it other than decide if he liked a person or not, but when it came to his crew, Luffy could read them all a book.

At a glance, Luffy could tell if they were hiding something, if they were upset, or just in a mood. Though, again, he couldn't do much more than try to cheer them up, given how easily he bought obvious lies. But even then, he'd be unsure about it.

Yet with Nami, Luffy's ability seemed to reach another level still. When he felt her ease back into their routine after Thriller Bark became nothing but a spot in the distance, he slowed his watchdog act until it was only an air of caution around physical contact. Those times when she, understandably, flinched away from him seemed to have left their mark because he would either wait for Nami to initiate contact or offer it first for her to accept. No more surprise hugs.

And as much as Nami both needed and appreciated the space, after the fifth day, she began to miss them, despite the fact she knew it would likely send her tumbling back down.

Still everything had been going well for her. Up until Shiki at least.

Nami stretched her arms out from under her head, and gave a long, satisfied hum. She put that train of thought to the side. There was something more important to decide. Nami sat up on her elbows and looked around. Where would they sit tonight?

Just sitting out on the grass deck was getting a bit boring. Nami wanted something a little different. They'd sat on both the front and rear upper decks, the stairs would be too uncomfortable for an extended period of time, and there was no way Nami wanted to risk falling asleep on Sunny's head only to wake up to find that Luffy fell into the ocean. The dumbass always rolled around in his sleep.

There had been a few nights where they had fallen asleep together out on deck, none of them planned, and only a couple since Water 7. That made tonight the first "planned" one. Nami was looking forward to it. It was kind of like camping! Only without the tent… or the campfire… and it was basically in their front garden…

Okay, so maybe it wasn't much like camping at all. But Nami was still eager.

She continued to look around for somewhere for her and Luffy to set up. Just as Nami was about to give up and have them sleep on the grass, she spotted a string of silver light over her shoulder.

The slide.

Nami shook her head. That was a stupid idea. Laying on that thing would feel like laying on sheet ice. They'd catch a cold overnight, or at the very least she would. Nami would rather not spend the next week hopped up on cough medicine.

But then again… Nami looked up over the bow of the ship. All the sails were furled, and with the slide being off to one side, the mast was out of the way giving a clear view of the starry sky ahead. Nami stood and approached the slide, putting her hand on the metal. It was cold, but not exactly freezing. With her jumper and the duvet Luffy was getting, it wouldn't be too bad…

Speaking of which, where was the idiot? Nami sent him to get the duvet 15 minutes ago or so; it shouldn't have taken this long. It was only in the lounge.

Suddenly, as if summoned, the door to the lounge slammed open, revealing a mass of crisp white covers. It stumbled out the door and towards the stairs. Nami grinned watching as the edge of the duvet swayed perilously close to the sandaled feet that poked out below.

The mass of sheets stabilized, and began to cautiously make its way to the stairs, one painfully slow step at a time. If the dumbass fell, it was his fault. Those sheets had been folded neatly; it shouldn't matter if they were king-sized or not, especially with Luffy's ability.

Watching Luffy's epic adventure travelling down stairs at a speed to make molasses jealous was pretty entertaining, especially given how Nami could imagine his face twisted with concentration. Behind him, she spotted Brook duck out under the door. That probably explained why Luffy was late. Every so often he'd talk to Brook about the adventures the skeleton had with his former crew. Nami had to admit, he did have some good stories.

The musician spotted Nami over by the slide, and immediately made a beeline for her. He stepped onto the slide and slid down, keeping perfect balance. Nami was almost impressed. Brook came to a perfect stop at the bottom beside her, hat off, and in a deep bow.

"Good evening, my lady," he said, voice as smooth as butter. "May I see your panties?"

Nami's eye twitched.

"FUCK OFF, PERVERT!" she roared, punching him in the jaw with her strongest right hook.

Brook's head did a full 360 around his neck as he dropped face first onto the grass like a sack of spuds. Nami's fist steamed from the force of the strike.

"Yohoho, I think you made me bite my tongue… Oh wait! I don't have a tongue! Yohoho!"

As much as she liked Brook, it was his habit of asking every woman around him to see their underwear that Nami hated most. Sure, Everyone on the crew had their own quirks, her included. Usopp with his lies, Chopper and his inability to take a compliment, or Zoro and his non-existent sense of direction, but Brook's was the only one Nami found outright repulsive.

Still, Nami only put up with it as much as she did because she felt bad for the poor bloke. Brook had been alone long enough to go insane, then come right back around. He probably couldn't help it. It was the only reason everyone on the crew didn't ask him to tone it down. Or at least, that was Nami's reason.

Didn't mean she wasn't going to give him shit every time he asked though…

Nami turned away from the skeletal musician to catch up on the saga of Luffy facing his greatest foe yet: The Stairs. Oh, Nami was going to hold this over him for months. She still teased him for his lack of stubble. Even if he was growing more.

Luffy had made progress. He was finally on the bottom step, and ever so carefully lowering his foot onto the grass below. Nami didn't know what was funnier; the sight of Luffy actually moving at the speed of a Den-Den Mushi across the upper deck in a desperate attempt not to trip, or the fact that he seemed so tangled up in the duvet it seemed to have actually knotted around him.

With one foot firmly on the ground, the second soon followed. Luffy had finally defeated the stepped menace.

"Finally!" came Luffy's muffled whoop. "I did it!"

"Well done, Captain," Nami praised in a tone that was 100% genuine, and not teasing or sarcastic in any way.

"Thanks!" he replied, oblivious.

Nami smiled fondly. What an adorable doofus he was.

As Luffy turned to walk towards her, his foot immediately stood on the loose blanket edge that had been threatening him his entire journey. Nami watched on in amusement. The duvet pulled tight and Luffy flopped over with a large 'whumph'.

"Hahaha!" Nami laughed. "Luffy you idiot."

"Yohohoho! It seems our Captain is in a bit of a bind," Brook joked. He dusted off his little top hat and placed back on his afro.

"That it does," Nami agreed. "Come on, best get him out of it now."

"Hurry!" Luffy moaned pathetically. "This is really uncomfortable."

They walked over to the wriggling pile that was their captain. Nami and Brook each grabbed a section of the sheets and began to pull, but the sheets didn't budge. The duvet was really wrapped tight around him.

"Goddamnit, Luffy," Nami complained. "I just sent you to grab these, how on earth did you let this happen?"

"Ah, I believe that would be my fault," Brook interjected smoothly, pulling on his end.

"Yeah! I got distracted by Brook!" was Luffy's muffled response.

"Indeed," Brook said. "Luffy came in while I was enjoying a cup of tea, and we got to talking about my time at sea. I was in the middle of telling him a story of my crew when he realized he'd been sent to pick up this blanket. In a panic, he didn't grab it properly and it unfolded. Then in his desperation to get back outside he got rather bungled up."

Nami nodded along to what Brook was saying. It basically boiled down to 'Luffy was easier to distract than a magpie in a room full of silverware, and didn't know how to pick up a folded duvet.' Cool.

She looked back down at her Captain. "So you're an idiot, then."

"Mean!" Luffy whined.

Nami chuckled with a fond shake of her head. She pulled on a loose edge of the duvet, and watched shocked as Luffy's hips did a 180 degree bend at the waist. The Captain shot up into a sitting position.

"Ooooh, that feels so much better!" Luffy proclaimed.

"Luffy, you were..." Nami gaped, "facing the other direction?"

Luffy looked down at the bedsheet then back to his legs, then shrugged. "I guess so. It felt really weird. It was super hard to walk, too."

Well, that explained why he was walking so slowly. He had been literally facing the opposite direction.

"Well, at least you're out here now," Nami said, gathering up the duvet. She noticed a pair of pillows tangled up within. Luffy must have grabbed them in his panic.

"I take it this is the beginning of your late-night rendezvous with the Captain?" Brook inquired softly, leaning down to Nami's height.

"Yeah, it is," she replied.

"I see," Brook stood to his full height. "Then, you would you do me the honour of providing your night with some accompanying music?" he asked, loud and grandiose, pulling his violin and bow from seemingly nowhere.

Nami and Luffy shared a glance. She could see hope shining in his eyes, but she hesitated. Honestly, as amazing as it would be to have some music playing through the night with them, she preferred it with just them. Nights were the only time when it could just be her and Luffy, together.

"If I may," Brook interrupted her train of thought, "I would play up on the rear deck, so as not to impede on your evening."

Well that solved that then.

Nami grinned up at the musician. "We'd love you to, Brook."

"Yohohoho!" Brook laughed loudly. "An opportunity to play for young love such as this sends my heart aflutter!" His tone dropped several octaves. "Even though I have no heart to begin with. YOHOHOHO!"

Luffy joined in with a bright cheer of his own. It made Nami smile. He really did like his music. Shanks probably had him on stories of pirates partying with song and dance ever since they met, so Luffy just took it as fact.

The laughter and cheering died down quickly, Brook bowing before leaving for the uppermost deck at the rear of the ship.

"So, where we sitting tonight?" Luffy asked, hands behind his head.

Nami grinned. "I've got just the place," she declared, pointing at the slide.

Luffy nodded his approval. "I like it," he said smiled, "but won't you get cold?"

"I should be fine," she answered, pulling on the neck of her jumper. "I have this. And if nothing else, we can wrap the duvet around us. It's more than big enough for the both of us."

"Sounds good to me," he said simply.

Then the first few notes of music washed over them. It was sweet and flowing, carrying through the air like a flock of doves. It wasn't uproarious, nor was it fast like the shanties Brook normally played for them. It was happy. Content, even. It filled Nami with a warmth deeper than any summer ever could and, when she shared a look with, Luffy that warmth grew deeper still at the look of joy painted on every inch of his face.

"Brook really is the best, isn't he?" Luffy asked rhetorically, a dazzling grin across his face. She never noticed how his eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiled like that.

"Yeah, he really is," Nami answered softly, not taking her eyes of Luffy.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Come on, let's lay down." He started off towards the slide.

For a moment, Nami's legs refused to move. She just stared at Luffy's back, admiring the squareness of his shoulders and the straightness of his back. Every little movement Luffy made portrayed assured confidence. Goddamn if she didn't love that about him.

Nami never liked being 'sappy' about things, especially when it came to her relationship with Luffy, but she allowed herself to be, just this once.

There were times when Luffy would do something boneheaded, or say something incomprehensibly stupid, and Nami would think to herself 'you're lucky I love you'. But then there were times where he would do or say something amazing and Nami would think 'Damn, I'm glad I get to keep him to myself'.

It was one of those moments when, no matter what would happen or what was to come, Nami wanted nothing more than to be by his side for all of it.

Adjusting her grip on the duvet and pillows, Nami approached Luffy and the slide. Once by his side, she dropped her load. Luffy looked her, eyebrow raised. She put her hand on the side of his neck, using her thumb to brush his cheek. For a moment, she took in every detail of his face. The slight depth to the scar under his eye, the slight roughness under her thumb from stubble, and the sheer amount of emotion he conveyed through his eyes.

Nami leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Luffy reciprocated almost immediately. The music enveloped them from every direction, pulling them closer together. In that moment, in Nami's mind, there was no Thriller Bark, no Shiki the Golden Lion, and no Fishman Island. It was just her and Luffy sharing a moment of bliss.

After what was a longer time than what it seemed, Nami and Luffy pulled apart, smiling gently at each other. At some point, Luffy's hands had made their way onto her hips and Nami's arms wrapped around his neck.

"That was nice," Luffy hummed in contentment.

"Mhm." Nami agreed. She pat his cheek. "Come on, let's get wrapped up."

They picked up the duvet and opened it up longways. Nami took off her shoes and tucked the bottom of the blanket underfoot, she and Luffy wrapping the duvet around their backs just under their armpits. Then, grabbing a pillow each, they laid back on the slide.

As soon as Nami put her pillow down, Luffy placed his arm across it. He looked up at her with a questioning expression. Nami just smiled down at him and lay her head on his shoulder. He bent his arm making sure to hug her in a closely as possible. Nami allowed herself a light, breathy chuckle.

With the thick duvet around her and Luffy acting as both her pillow and personal space heater, Nami was incredibly comfy. With the stars above and the music around them, she could fall asleep like this.

Nami would fully admit, that for all her greed and love of luxury, this was something money could never buy.

Just a week ago she had her every material want catered for. Clothes, jewelry, a villa, you name it, Nami had access to it, and all at the expense of Shiki. But she wasn't happy. She wasn't safe.

Her first night on Merveille, Nami couldn't sleep. She was out of her mind with worry for her crew. Where did they end up? Were any of them together? Were they okay? Nami had no idea as to any of it. Merveille itself was mystery to her as Shiki refused to give up any information on the island's inhabitants, unless she joined his crew. He referred to those that lived there only as his "little experiments". It did little to sooth her worry.

What compounded the issue was just how much the crew had been helping her deal with the lasting effects of Thriller Bark on her psyche. Being away from them effectively doubled her stress. Nami couldn't walk from her room to the bath without feeling his breath on the back of her neck, or his hands hovering just a half inch over her shoulder, about to grab her. Even now, just thinking about it, Nami could hear his depraved laughter echo in her ear.

Nami shivered and Luffy instinctively tightened his arm around her, chasing it away. That was what Nami missed most under Shiki: her safety. Seeing Luffy again after she escaped the palace with Billy had been an almost euphoric feeling and she immediately threw herself into her Captain's arms.

From what the others had told her, they hadn't fared much better. The relentless monster attacks kept them up day and night, barely able to get more than a few hours' sleep across the entire week. The night spent in Xiao's village was the most rest they had had since arriving on Strong World.

Of course, their rest didn't last long as Shiki showed up to collect Nami. The crew, sans Franky, Robin, Brook, and herself, stood up to the lunatic only for Shiki to defeat all of them without so much as breaking a sweat. He really was a pirate capable of standing up to the likes of Gold Roger.

From there, Nami knew she had no choice. She needed to "join" Shiki's crew and find a way to sabotage his plan from within while her friends came for the man themselves.

Nami remembered the message she'd been allowed to leave as a 'farewell'. It had taken some quick thinking on her part, but she left a pretty convincing message. A message to convince Shiki that she was really joining him, as well as tell her friends to come get her. It worked a treat…

For all except one.

"Hey, Luffy," Nami spoke up, her voice heavy in her throat. Already, she was perilously close to sleep.

"Hmm"? Luffy hummed, his reply vibrating pleasantly through his chest.

"Why were you so mad at me for my message?" she asked. "I know you didn't hear all of it, but surely you should have guessed, right?"

Luffy didn't answer immediately. His breathing continued with long, even breaths.

"I was pissed off," he said eventually. "We'd been beaten so easily by him that it just got to me, so when I heard your message, I lost it. The fact you didn't seem to believe that I could beat Shiki and save you made me feel weaker than I already did. I hated it."

Nami threw her arm that was over the duvet by her side across Luffy's chest and hugged him. She had never heard him outright admit to feeling weak. The mere thought of Luffy being weak in her mind was an impossibility, so for him to state it so easily was a bit of a surprise.

"I shouldn't have held it against you," he continued, his tone dropping lower. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." Nami said easily. "Just make sure to hear me out next time, okay?"

Luffy scoffed. "There won't be a next time."

"Damn right," Nami chuckled.

They fell silent. Brook's music continued, unabated, but to a different tune. This song was slower, its notes longer and drawn out as opposed to the previous which was sweeping and joyful. It sounded almost like a lullaby to her ear. Its tempo matched the gentle rocking of the sea below. Nami felt herself drift slowly deeper and deeper into the melody.

"Hey Nami…" The sound of Luffy's voice pulled her from the brink of the land of dreams.

"Yeah?" she replied softly.

"I'm worried," he spoke with a frayed edge to his voice.

Nami adjust herself so that she was looking up at him. "What's up?" she inquired gently.

"It's just…" Luffy hesitated, seemingly gathering his words. "I don't know if I'm strong enough for whatever's coming up, you know…"

He trailed off into silence, unsure of his own words. Nami stared at him. From her angle, she couldn't see much of his face, but with what little she could showed the uncertainty and vulnerability that he didn't dare show normally. Nami was glad Brook was so far away.

"Of course you are," she answered without hesitation. "What makes you think anything else?"

Nami felt him swallow through his chest.

"Ever since fighting Aokiji, all our fights have been too close for comfort," he admitted. "Against him, the Pigeon Guy, the Leek, and Shiki, there were moments where I thought I might not make it. The Leek even said that against what was in the New World, I would be nothing."

Luffy paused for breath. Nami propped herself up on her elbow getting a good look at his face. It was heartbreaking. His expression wasn't that far from neutral; a slight down turn of the lips and a crease in his brow was all that gave him away. All the emotion, the uncertainty, the vulnerability lay was in his eyes. They shined like polished glass under the starlight, baring his soul to the world.

"What if, maybe, we face someone who's too strong. Someone so far ahead that I can't save you…" Luffy's voice hitched in his throat, the very thought was too much.

For all the confidence that Luffy displayed in everything that he said and did, he was still just a man. A man of 17 years with worries and concerns of his own. And right now, those concerns were about them, his friends, and his potential inability to save them. It made Nami's heart ache. Luffy was her rock, her port in the storm, and now, much like on Water 7, she was his.

Nami placed her hand on his cheek, directing his gaze towards her. "Luffy, you are the strongest person I know." She spoke with absolute assuredness. "Whatever happens, we'll overcome it. You, me, and the rest of the crew. And if we're not strong enough, then we'll get stronger. Nothing will stop us. We're a team after all."

They held each other's gaze for a full minute. Nami looking down with her warmest smile and Luffy back up at her, his insecurity melting away with each passing second. Finally, he broke into a wide smile.

"Yeah," he said with a laugh. "You're right. Thanks, Nami."

Nami leaned in for a brief kiss. "No problem!" she smiled before an idea popped in her head. An idea to really drive the point home. "Get comfy, Luffy, I have a story I wanna tell you."

"Sure!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Good, it's a bit long," Nami said, laying down on Luffy's outstretched arm, giving her a clear view of the sky above. "It's about a little girl who was saved from a monster."

Luffy hummed his eagerness to hear the story.

"It all started eight years ago in a small village where the little girl lived," Nami began. "The little girl grew up in a grove with her adopted mother and sister, where every year they would go to the market to sell fruits. They were closer than any other family. Her life was full of love and laughter.

"But one year, a storm blew in and destroyed most of the grove, right before the fruit was ripe." It had been years ago, but Nami still remembered the fear and frustration she felt when it happened. "That year, they were very poor. The little girl began stealing books to read, even getting quite good at it. She had discovered a love for drawing maps and, with the encouragement of her mother and sister, the little girl declared that she was going to draw a map of the world!"

Nami threw her arms up in the air like she was holding said map. In her mind she remembered how Bellemere held her first map up to the sky above, proclaiming that if Nami wanted to draw the world map, goddamn if she wasn't going to do it.

There was a brief pause of silence that Nami held for dramatic effect. Luffy let out a soft 'ah' as the penny dropped as to who this story was about. Good, it meant Nami didn't need to dance around it too much.

"But one day," Nami continued, "the little girl got fed up of being poor. She wanted new books, clothes, and toys. She got into an argument with her mother, and in her frustration the little girl said the worst thing she could think of. 'I wish I had been adopted by someone richer'." A lump had formed in Nami's throat, even after all this time, those words were the thing she regretted most.

"The mother smacked her across the cheek, and the little girl ran away to the house of her mother's friend. He told her about how her mother was a rascal as a kid and was doing her best to provide for the little girl and her sister." Nami glanced over at Luffy. He was looking at her in rapt attention. "It was then the little girl's sister showed up, telling them their mother was making their favourite meal. The little girl decided she'd go home and apologise right away."

Nami paused for breath and attempted to clear her throat of that lump, but it refused to move.

"At the same time, the Monsters showed up in town." The wild swing in emotions Nami had felt that day still affected her now. "They declared that everyone in town must pay a toll for their lives. 100,000 per adult, and 50,000 per child. Anyone whose toll could not be paid would be killed. The little girl's mother had only enough for herself or her daughters, but not all of them.

"Now, the mother had every chance to survive. The Monsters hadn't seen the little girl or her sister, and they weren't listed as family anywhere. All she had to do was keep quiet about them, and the girls could have been spirited off the island." Nami took a deep breath, trying to quell the stinging building up behind her eyes. "Everyone would have been safe."

Luffy had been immensely quiet during Nami's re-telling of her story. The fact this was probably the longest he'd ever been quiet brought her some amusement, but she didn't dwell on it. She needed to finish.

"But, the little girl's mother didn't want that," Nami pressed on, "She said she'd rather die than deny her daughters. Her last words to them were 'I love you' before she was killed by the Monster.

"After that, the Monsters discovered the little girl's talent for cartography and stole her away. Eventually they made a deal with her. If she could collect 100,000,000 Beris, then her town would be set free. So, for eight years, this little girl slaved away, making maps for the monsters and stealing every beri she could find, believing herself to be hated by the very town she was trying to save."

Nami turned her head to look at Luffy properly. He looked like he hadn't so much as blinked. Though he was biting lightly on his lower lip, and judging by how tense his arm was under her head, Luffy was upset at hearing her story.

Holding his gaze, Nami went into the final chapter of her story. "Then one day, the little girl met a boy. She didn't think much of him at first. He was a pirate like the Monsters, so in a form of petty revenge she developed over the years, the little girl lied to him, manipulated him, and used him to steal more money. Yet the boy took it all in stride. He wasn't like the Monsters. He talked about risking one's life for their beliefs and how you should always stick to them. So she decided to stick with him. If nothing else, it'll be more money for her down the line.

"So she traveled with him as he built up his crew. A swordsman, a liar, and a cook. The little girl realised she had something with them that she had not had in eight years: friends. She began to worry that she needed to leave. That she needed to go back to the Monsters before she became too attached to them. So, while the boy and his crew are in the process of recruiting the cook, the little girl betrayed them, stealing their money and ship.

"But instead of being angry, the boy wanted to get her back. He refused to have anyone else navigate for his crew. When he arrived on her island, he refused to believe what everyone told him about the girl: that she was a witch, that she sold her soul for money. The boy wanted to see it for himself.

"The girl pushed him away at every opportunity, telling to leave, to mind his own business, that she didn't want him here. But he didn't move. He just wanted his friend back, and would do whatever possible to get her. So, when the little girl hit her lowest point, he was there for her. Him and his entire crew. For the first time in eight years, the little girl asked for help, and they were more than happy to give it.

"They defeated the Monsters, saved the girl and the town, and gave her the chance to dream again. She joined their crew permanently, navigating them through all their adventures and, somewhere along the line, she fell in love with the boy."

Nami finished the story, a rush of relief surging through her body. She had never actually told anyone about her past. Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp all learned from Nojiko, while the rest of the crew just sort of picked it up through conversation with the other members. Luffy was the first person she actually outright told. It was a weight off her shoulders.

Brook's music changed again, this time to something airy, wistful, and nostalgic. It was the song of a small village. It made Nami think of home.

"Nami," Luffy finally spoke, his voice curious. "Why did you tell me this?"

Why indeed. They both knew Luffy didn't need to hear it, he didn't care about her past, especially in regards to what he did for her.

"For two reasons," Nami answered. "First, I've wanted to tell you for a while now. Just so you know just how big of a thing it actually was," she explained with a light shrug.

Luffy nodded. "That makes sense."

"The second reason is that I want to reiterate my point from before. It took me eight years before I was willing to ask for help, and even then, it was only after I hit rock bottom. You're the Captain and you hold responsibility for keeping us safe, but you don't have to do it alone. We all look out for each other and cover our weaknesses. You needn't worry about us, Captain. We'll be just fine."

They stared at each other for a while, just like before, except now it seemed like Luffy was staring through her soul. Finally, he broke eye contact with her and looked up to the sky above. A grin spread across his face. It wasn't the biggest, but it was the brightest and happiest Nami had ever seen, and that was saying something.

"Shishishi," he laughed. "Yeah, we'll be fine."

Nami smiled happily and readjusted herself so her head was back on Luffy shoulder. His lean muscle serving as a more than adequate pillow. His arm came up and around her shoulders hugging her nice and tight.

There was little to be said between them right now, and Nami was more than fine with that. For now, she was content to be lulled by the waves and carried off by Brook's music. In the arms of the man she loved, Nami could not be happier.

Whatever was to come was tomorrow's problem. They would tackle it like every other one before it. Together. Until then, this was all that mattered.

.o0o.

_**~A Problem shared is a Problem halved~**_

_**(Note: This was probably the most I've enjoyed writing a chapter. I had a smile on my face for most of it!**_

_**I tried to make it as wholesome as possible, but I fear I may have gone a bit too out of character in places. What do you think?**_

_**This was also my first major attempt at a big monologue… I hope it came out well. But then again, it's all practice.**_

_**So a couple things; first, this story has hit 100 Reviews! A small landmark, I know, especially compared to what some of my readers have, but it really means a lot to me, especially since the feedback has been so overwhelmingly positive! Thank you all so much! Long may continue.**_

_**Second, I still have a Poll on my profile. It lists some possible ideas for long term story ideas I have. Cast a vote if any of it interests you. ALSO! If you have any ideas you'd like to share in general my PMs are always open. I'm always happy to talk.**_

_**Beta'd by SwordOfTheGods (Dude, it's immense with how much he does!)**_

_**Next chapter is Post-Sabaody!)**_


	16. The 15th Night

_**~The 15th Night~**_

.o0o.

_(Weatheria)_

Nami sat on Weatheria's edge, dangling her legs over the brink, watching as the sun dipped over the horizon. Light bled through the sea of clouds around her, dying them brilliant shades of orange and gold. They swirled across the sky like liquid fire. Dancing before the coming night. It was the most beautiful thing Nami had ever played witness to.

Yet… it may as well have been so many shades of grey for all she cared.

The last two days for Nami had been fraught with worry, and borderline panic. The whole crew had been separated at Sabaody by the Tyrant, Bartholomew Kuma, sending them all who knows where. Now Nami was trying her damndest to get back. All her focus was on trying to get off this blasted sky island.

Of all places for that asshole to send her, it just had to be a sky island.

Nami gave a weary sigh. She leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee, and propping up her chin with the palm of her hand. Reasonably, she knew that if she was okay, then the others would be too. But, that wasn't a given. She had been lucky, ending up on Weatheria. It was tame, filled with a bunch of doddering old men who looked like wizards, and probably hadn't seen a woman in decades. These guys were pretty much Nami's bread and butter to manipulate, and steal from. The others may not have been so lucky. Luffy especially.

As much as Nami loved him, she knew he was hopeless on his own. His skill set boiled down to combat, and charisma. The latter was more a personality trait than a skill, so if he ended up somewhere that was immediately hostile to him or, heaven forbid, got the Marines involved he was going to struggle.

Same with Zoro really, except he didn't have Luffy's natural charisma, and just came off as a bit of an ass most of the time. At least to those who didn't know him.

There was no way to know how far they all were from Sabaody. All Nami knew was that they were a minimum of 3 days away from the archipelago, and even then, there was no guarantee that they all traveled the same distance. What was 3 days travel for Nami, could be 7 for Chopper, and 10 for Sanji. Without knowing the details of Kuma's power, there was no way to know.

It seemed hopeless.

Nami couldn't even bring herself to enjoy the wonder that lay before her. She didn't get to see a sunset on Skypiea. They were only there for one day, and that night had been spend in the forest, cut off from the horizon. She just couldn't find any joy in it, knowing what had happened on Sabaody.

"_NAMIII!"_

"_Luffy! Help m-"_

The scene of her final seconds on Sabaody echoed through her mind for what felt like the thousandth time. Nami rubbed desperately at her temples, trying to make it go away. The feeling of terror and helplessness as Kuma charged her down sat fresh in her heart. The look of absolute fear in Luffy's eyes as she disappeared, begging him for help was probably the worst part.

Just days before, Luffy had shared his fears with her, that something might happen to them and he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Nami comforted him, telling him they would be fine, and if they weren't strong enough, then they would just get stronger. Yet it happened anyway. They faced a foe so far beyond them, they were defeated utterly.

It made Nami feel like a liar.

Lying was nothing new to Nami, she was a thief after all, but it felt like she lied to Luffy. It was as if her comforting him, and talking him through his fears had made this happen. Like it was her fault. Nami punched the ground to her side as hard as she could. It caused a dull thud, and now her fingers hurt. It did nothing to quell her frustrations.

It was the fault of those slavers for stealing Hachi, and then Keimi. It was the fault of those Celestial Dragon cunts for existing, going around spending ungodly amounts of money on slaves as well as basically being the reason for the slave trade existing. And it was the fault of the fucking Marines for not only protecting the Celestial Bastards, but for all but _encouraging _them.

Yet, here she was, separated from her friends, stranded on a Sky Island, and with little hope of getting back, and _she _was the one feeling like she was somehow at fault.

It was fucking bullshit!

Nami punched the ground again. If she were Luffy, Sanji or Zoro there'd be a small crater under her right now, and her fist wouldn't be aching. She hoped they were okay…

Everything about Sabaody was wrong. From their time there, to the archipelago itself. On the surface it looked like an amazing place, with people from all six seas mingling, an amusement park, and you got an awesome view of the colossal Red Line, the halfway point of the Grand Line.

It was anything but, however. It was home to slavers, smugglers and oppression that would make Arlong look like a strict school teacher by comparison.

People were plucked from the streets. Man, woman and child. It didn't matter. If you made a turn down the wrong road, strayed too near a building you shouldn't, or even go to the bathroom, chances are the next time anyone sees you, it'll be with a collar around your neck.

Not to mention the treatment of fishmen, and merfolk in general. One would think that given how close Fishman Island was to Sabaody there would be at least some kind of friendly trade between the two, especially given that anyone wanting to go to and from the New World would have to go through the former. Apparently the idea of treasures from the bottom of the ocean wasn't as appealing as it seemed.

Or, they were, just not in the form most would consider reasonable.

The things those people said about Hachi and Keimi gave Nami conniptions. She would hardly call herself the biggest fan of fishmen, given her biases, and even less of a fan of Hachi at the time, but she could hardly wrap her head around the idea of fishmen having a contagious disease that would _turn you into _a fishman. It was disgusting.

It was both horrific and ironic that Sabaody was popular for these very reasons, and not in spite of them. Sabaody rode it's reputation of being a beautiful archipelago with people of all kinds to draw in the masses, yet the real attraction was the scum that festered just beneath the surface.

The brighter the light, the darker the shadow, Nami supposed.

None of that would have mattered however, had Keimi not been kidnapped. Sabaody would have been nothing more than a simple stop over on their way to their actual destination, no different than the near a hundred ones they made since setting out. A formality.

Instead, slavers get handsy with poor Keimi. A hard worker she may be, but a fighter she was not. So everything then became about getting her back. It was building up to be a repeat of Enies Lobby, had it not been for Hachi warning them that they absolutely could _not_ go in guns ablaze.

It was too dangerous.

Dealing with a group of high-end assassins who really weren't meant for out and out combat, as good at it as they were, was one thing, but the risk of harming a Celestial Dragon and summoning an Admiral was another. They needed a bit of subtlety. And for once, Luffy listened to reason and agreed.

Nami grit her teeth, and dug her nails into the dirt. Even Luffy recognised how perilous it all was. Even he saw the writing on the wall. It was probably the first time Luffy opted for caution without much of a fight, and even then, when things did go south, he ordered them to retreat, hide and come back when it all blew over.

They were so close. They almost had Keimi back. They would have gotten her back, no mess, no fuss. A successful operation. But it was like lighting a match in a room full of dry gunpowder. One stray bit of dust and it all goes up in flames. And in their case, it wasn't so much a bit of dust, as a full keg being dumped on their heads.

The combination of a snot-nosed, arrogant, man child with a gun, and a moment of weakness from Luffy caused it all to come crashing down.

Well… calling it a 'moment of weakness' was debatable. As soon as that Celestial Dragon outbid everyone for Keimi, their fate had been sealed. Force became their only option. Not that it mattered as the very same Celestial Asshole went and shot Hachi. That's when Luffy lost it. There wasn't a decent human being in that building who didn't want to punch that snobby cunt in the face. Luffy was the only one willing to do it. Hell, Nami shrugged it off initially, it was just one of those things Luffy did and she was proud of him for it. He never let those who harmed his friends go unpunished.

It's just… maybe if Luffy had kept his head a little longer, they could have got Keimi and Hachi out without bringing an Admiral down on their heads...

No, it was hindsight talking. With everything that happened there was no way Luffy would let it stand. Nami didn't want him too, either. He may have been for the more cautious approach but a friend was in danger of having her freedom taken from her, and another had been shot, mocked, and threatened with the same fate as the first friend. Luffy was right to do what he did.

Some may have called it weakness. To lose your head in such a dangerous scenario. But for Nami, and the rest of the crew, it was possibly Luffy's strongest trait. If he saw something he didn't like, he was going to do something about it. There was no two ways about it.

As soon as that bid of 500 million went in, there was only one outcome.

Still… that didn't stop Nami's mind running rampant with 'what ifs' and 'maybes'. What if they managed sneak in and free Keimi before she went for sale? Or maybe if they all just kept running and avoided fighting all together they could have gotten away. Nami shook her head. It was just wishful thinking that would not change anything.

Nami was starting to understand why Luffy didn't like being by himself. For the first time since her first night on Merry, she felt truly alone. Her mind was filling itself with unnecessary thoughts that only served to distract her and keep her from facing her what she actually wanted. To get back to the others. She sighed again. What she wouldn't give to hug Luffy right now…

"Excuse me, young miss, are you alri-"

A hand grabbed at Nami's shoulder, pulling her out of her reverie. She reacted instantly. Dropping her shoulder to lose the hand, then used it to push herself up into a standing position. Meanwhile she pulled out her Clima-Tact and slammed one end of it into the chest of her assailant knocking him over.

In one swift move Nami stood over whoever snuck up on her, Clima-Tact pointed firmly at his neck.

"Mr. Haredas?" Nami gasped, realising who it was she just attacked. She lowered her weapon.

"O-oh my," he stammered slightly, his face paled by the assault, "You are quite the feisty one, aren't you?"

"Ah, sorry, Mr. Haredas," Nami apologised, putting her Clima-Tact away, "I don't do well with people sneaking up on me." She offered her hand for the old scholar to take.

"No problem at all, my dear." he replied lightly, taking her hand, "It's what I get for sneaking up on a pirate, I suppose."

"Haha, pretty much," Nami chuckled, "By the way, what are you still doing up?" All the other scholars had gone to bed hours ago.

Haredas dusted off the back of his robes, "I could ask the same of you, young miss." he replied, "But, I have taken a liking to a late night stroll before before bed," He turned his gaze from Nami to the far horizon, where the fiery sunlight was slowly beginning to fade, "It gives me more time to admire our wonderful sunsets."

Nami looked back out over the view, and hummed lightly, "Yeah, it is gorgeous." she said softly.

She must not have sounded too enthusiastic as she saw Haredas frown slightly from the corner of her eye. It did last long before her looked away again.

"I believe it my turn to ask; what is keeping you up at such an hour?" he inquired, "You don't strike me as one who would stay up so late."

"Well, looks can be deceiving," Nami said with a wry chuckle, "I'm usually not in bed for another two hours at least."

"My that is surprising," Haredas said, not sounding surprised at all, "But you're probably right."

They stood in silence and watched as the monolithic pillars of sunlight disappeared one by one, chased off by the approaching night. It was enough to make Nami's heart constrict. If this were any other night she and Luffy would be cuddled up somewhere on deck, talking amicably about their day, the crew, and the places they wanted to see. Occasionally lapsing into silence, basking in the warmth of the other's presence. Or to end up making out. Either one was fine.

Nami missed Luffy so much it hurt.

She missed his big, dumb grin. She missed the unique way he would chuckle at things. And she missed those times when she would catch him looking at her with so much affection it made her heart skip a beat. Nami missed everything about Luffy. They had been apart from him for 5 days and it was enough to make her heart want to fold in on itself.

"A beri for your thoughts, young miss?" Haredas spoke, once more pulling Nami from her thoughts.

"Careful, I might take more than a beri." Nami quipped, "What do you want to know?"

"I think I'll take that chance." the scholar responded easily, "I believe something to be weighing on your mind. Perhaps you would like to share."

"There's not much to share." Nami shrugged, "I got separated from my friends, and I want to get back to them."

"I see." Haredas said, "And that is all?"

Nami side eyed him, "You're a nosy old man, you know that?"

"Apologies." The old man coughed into his hand, "It has been near a decade since someone new came to Weatheria. I let my curiosity get the best of me, I'm afraid." he admitted sheepishly.

Nami snorted, "Don't worry about it." she said, "I'm a bit on edge, is all."

She took her seat once more, dangling her legs off the side of the island. Haredas joined her, grunting slightly as he sat.

"I'm assuming it has been quite a tough few days for you." he remarked.

"Yeah..." Nami muttered, "Putting it mildly."

Haredas said nothing. Most likely waiting for her to elaborate.

She hesitated. On the one hand, it would be nice to have someone to talk to. The old man was right about the last few days being tough, so being able to open up about it would only help. But on the other hand, Nami barely knew the man. She doubted there was malicious intent behind Haredas, but her want to open up emotionally started and ended with Luffy, Nojiko, and the rest of the crew. None of them were here.

Nami sighed. She had no idea how long she'd be on this island, and there didn't seem to be any clear way off it, not that the residents were telling her anyway.

Screw it. The stress would kill her if she didn't talk about it. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to be here much longer away, so it didn't matter.

"Five days ago..." Nami began cautiously. Haredas raised a grey eyebrow at the time frame she gave. "My crew and I got into a… spot of bother."

She was under selling it, but Nami didn't want to run the risk of word leaving the island, and coming back to bite her, as unlikely as it was. It never hurt to be safe.

"We ended up facing an enemy that was too strong for us and we got separated." Nami continued, "The guy sent us flying one by one. The look on Luf-our Captains face as we were all sent away before his eyes was… horrible."

Nami leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, hugging her shoulders tight. Scenes of their battle against Admiral Kizaru, the Pacifistas, and Kuma flashed through her mind with painful clarity.

The grueling effort they all put into defeating just a single Pacifista, just for a second to show up followed closely by Kizaru. The sight of the aloof bastard standing on Zoro, ready to blow their First Mate's head off was grim. Had it not been for Rayleigh showing up when he did, there wouldn't have been much of Zoro left.

Then Kuma himself appeared. The terror that Nami felt when Zoro disappeared was crippling. They didn't know at the time if Kuma had killed him or not making it all the worse. Of course, the Loudest Mouth in all the Marines telling them about Kuma's ability didn't exactly ease their fear any, but at least they knew their friend wasn't dead.

The single-minded way in which the Warlord pursued them and how he seemed to be leaving Luffy for last was almost sadistic. Like he knew Luffy's greatest fear, and wanted nothing more than to just twist the knife in the wound. There was nothing they could do to stop him. Kuma was just too strong.

Nami swallowed thickly and continued, "He, the enemy, sent us flying for three days. That's when I landed here."

Haredas let out a small 'ah' of understanding, but otherwise kept quiet.

"I need to get back." Nami let go of her shoulders and sat up straight, determination filled her voice, "My Captain was in a bad way when we left him, and I need to get back to him."

"I see." Haredas said with a nod, "Do you know where you're captain, and fellow crewmates are?"

"I don't." Nami admitted with a shake of the head, "I don't even know how far Sabaody is from here, but we agreed to make our way back there. Besides, I have this to guide me." she finished holding up the Log Pose on her wrist, it's needle pointing behind them.

The scholar stared intently at the compass, squinting to see it in the dying light, "Hmm, well I am amazed to hear that you made it to us from Sabaody in just three days." He murmured, "Considering we are at least three weeks away from there by conventional travel."

Nami blinked. That far? If she were to hazard a guess, she'd estimate maybe a week tops. But _three_?

It hardly needed to be said, but Bartholomew Kuma was nothing short of terrifying, and truly deserving of his place as one of the Seven Royal Warlords of the Sea.

Haredas finished looking at the Log Pose, and stood with a small 'oof', "Well, it's getting too late to talk logistics, and I really must be off to bed. I recommend the same to you, young miss. Especially if you plan on causing a ruckus like to have today."

"I certainly will." Nami chuckled, "Though, I'd like to stay out here just a little longer, if it's all the same to you."

"Of course, of course." he conceded, "Tis the privilege of youth, I suppose. To choose their own bedtimes."

Haredas made to walk away and Nami turned to look back out over the horizon. The clouds were dark and shadowed by night. The remaining sunlight was nothing more than a mere ember in a sea of black.

"Young miss?" Haredas called back, having only moved a few paces away.

"Mhm?" Nami hummed, not looking back.

"Forgive this old fool's curiosity, but…" he hesitated, sounding unsure of how to continue, "This Captain of yours. You speak of him with great concern and affection. I can't help but wonder if he is someone special to you?"

Haredas didn't ask it directly, but Nami understood what he was trying to get at. She smiled.

She imagined Luffy's beaming smile looking back at her, his warmth cuddled into her side. He wasn't with her physically, but he was still here. It was a small comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

Nami felt Luffy's calloused hand come to rest on her shoulder, just over her tattoo.

"Yeah," She nodded happily, "He is."

.o0o.

_(Amazon Lily)_

Luffy was nervous. He didn't like being nervous. Nerves were never something he dealt with well, due in large part to how rarely he felt them. In any other situation Luffy would go out and immediately tackle whatever was making him feel like so. That's where he was comfortable. Running head first into his problems taking them out as soon as they came up. But he couldn't do that now.

Now, Luffy needed to wait.

He sat up on one of the palace's many balconies looming over the city below. The sun had just set, and with every moment that passed, Luffy felt like he was going to burst. His leg twitched restlessly against the floor as he slouched in his chair, trying to release the restless energy pent up inside of him.

It wasn't helping much.

The last few days had been rough. From the absolute hell that Bear Guy inflicted on him by taking away his friends, to finding out about Ace's capture. Everything just seemed to be going down hill.

Of course, Luffy refused to let it get him down. After all, if he was okay, then all his friends were too. They'd see each other again. It just meant that he needed to get back to Sabaody as soon as possible.

He hoped Nami would forgive him for not being strong enough to protect them…

Luffy knew that was a stupid thought. It was the very thing they talked about after Strong World, and Nami said it was okay. They would survive and get stronger. And survive they did. So there was no way she would be upset with him. But… the look on her face when the Warlord sent her away was scarred into his mind. She asked him for help, and he failed.

A small voice in the back of his mind worried that she might blame him for not being strong enough. Luffy doubted it. But the only way to know was to find her again.

He just needed a boat.

It immediately went to the top of his priority list when he landed. Right after finding food. Turns out flying through the air for three days would really make a guy hungry. Fifteen meals he missed. _Fifteen!_

Sadly Luffy's hunt for food didn't go exactly to plan. It was simple enough that it should have worked. Get food from the forest. Eat the food. Go find someone with a boat… and maybe some directions back to Sabaody. What Luffy didn't account for a mushroom laying him out flat.

It was weird mushroom. Not like any of the ones back home, that was for sure. Those mushrooms didn't knock him out cold and give him weird dreams. Like him and his crew on the back of a giant tortoise playing games. Luffy riding a giant seagull. Chopper conducting an orchestra of animals. There was a llama too.

It didn't seem to last long however, but it got weirder for Luffy when he woke up. He was in some kind of jail cell, completely naked with a load of woman surrounding it, staring. They were all obsessed with his family jewels for some reason… It was kind of creepy.

If Nami were there she would have either been really annoyed, or found it really funny. Probably both, if he were honest.

A sharp pain pierced Luffy's heart. He missed Nami.

Wherever she was, Luffy knew she was alright. Nami was strong and resourceful like that, the same with the rest of the crew. But he desperately wished she was here. She would know how to deal with all these jewel obsessed women, that kept pulling on his face. She would have known where to get a boat right away. She would definitely know not to eat any weird mushrooms.

But most of all; Luffy just wanted her there when news broke about Ace.

In that moment Luffy felt alone. He had begun to panic, not knowing what to do. His brother, the strongest person he knew, had been captured by the Marines and was to be executed in one week. Luffy found himself desperately thinking '_What would Nami do?'_. But to no avail.

She and everyone else would be trying to get back to Sabaody to reunite, but there was no way Luffy would be able to get back to them _and_ save Ace. He didn't like it, but there was no choice. He would get Ace out, and meet up with them right after. His reunion with Nami could wait a little longer.

Luffy knew that if Nami were with him right now, she'd be behind him 100%. She wouldn't hesitate a moment to join him to Impel Down. It made Luffy smile. He was so glad to have someone like her in his life.

Luffy missed everyone on the crew. It had only been, 4? Maybe 5 days? He'd lost track. But it felt like months since he last saw them. Luffy missed hearing Zoro and Sanji bicker like siblings. He missed goofing off with Chopper and Usopp. He missed being wowed by every new invention Franky came up with. He missed Robin's horror stories and Brook's music too.

But Luffy would see them soon enough. Old Lady Nyon said it would take about six days to get to Impel Down. That left one day to get in, find Ace and get out again. It was more than enough. It would also mean everyone else would have time to get back to Sabaody to meet up. He would be a bit late, but they wouldn't mind.

It was easy enough on paper, but it didn't rid the horrible knotting sensation going on in his guts. Luffy sat up in his chair, leg still bouncing furiously. This was going to be far more dangerous than anything else he'd done before, for the simple fact he would be doing it alone. Hancock agreed to help him get into Impel Down, using her status of Warlord - which was really cool, by the way - but she could not risk any more than that. Luffy would have to remember to thank her for doing this. Despite his first impression of her, Hancock was pretty awesome.

Even with her help, however, getting in was the easy bit. Even Luffy knew that a jail would just love for a criminal like him to show up and walk in just so they could lock him up. Getting out would be the hard bit. Luffy didn't even know where abouts Ace was being kept. But, 24 hours should be enough. Especially if he can recruit some people to help him on the way.

Regardless of how difficult it would be, Luffy would save Ace. Even if he had to follow his brother right up to his execution. Luffy refused to lose him. Not after already losing Sabo. They had a promise to keep, and Luffy would drag his brother kicking and screaming if he had to, to make sure he kept his end of the bargain.

He would save Ace. He had to.

Luffy stood up from his chair and walked over to the railing of the balcony. His leg was starting to ache a little. Leaning against the rail, Luffy looked out over Amazon Lily. It was a really cool place, filled with cool and interesting people. Who would have thought an entire tribe of only women would be out there, and for all of them to be so strong! This place was amazing! If he were here under any other circumstance, Luffy would explore the hell out of this island.

Then on top of all that it was run by Hancock, a Warlord. And unlike all the other Warlords Luffy had met, she was nice, even if she didn't come across it at first. Though, he would admit he that partly was on him. He did kind of breaking into her bath house while she was bathing. The last time he got such an eyeful was in Alabasta when Nami used her '_Happiness Punch'_ on him and the other guys. Hancock was pretty, but not Nami levels of pretty, so it didn't really matter to him.

She was more upset that Luffy saw the mark on her back, however, and being reminded of what it meant, Luffy could understand why. It reaffirmed in his mind that what he did to that asshole was justified. Luffy would die before he let Hachi and Keimi suffer a fate like that.

His breaking and entering was fair enough for her to be upset at him, that didn't change the fact that she acted like an uppity bitch. Hancock had been a complete ass, turning her own people to stone just for trying to defend him, then saying that everyone would forgive her because she was good looking. Implying that Luffy would as well. The three she turned to stone were his friends. Marguerite, Sweet Pea and Aphelandra helped him out a bunch, and she turned them to stone. There was no what in hell he would forgive her because of her looks.

Luffy wouldn't even forgive Nami or Robin for that reason if they ever did something like this. They never would, but that was beside the point.

Still, Luffy was glad Hancock came around. She wasn't so bad once he got to know her. She even gave him the choice for her to turn them back, at the cost of not being able to get a boat. A small price to pay really. He was going to steal one anyway.

Thankfully Old Lady Nyon was on his side and was going to help him get a boat. At least, that was the idea. They were having tea when he found out about Ace, followed quickly by the news that Hancock had taken ill. It really didn't help his nerves at all.

They went to the Warlord right away. None of their doctors could figure out what was wrong with her, and Sandersonia, and Marigold were besides themselves with worry. In his stress addled mind, Luffy brief scoffed at their doctors. Chopper would have had it figured out in a heartbeat.

Much to everyone's relief, the old lady realised what was wrong. Apparently, Hancock was lovesick. Luffy had no idea love could make you sick at all! Nyon explained that it came from holding on to your feelings, making him suddenly very glad he told Nami when he did. The thought of either of them getting sick over it was not a fun one.

What confused Luffy though, was that Hancock was lovesick over him. They met only a few hours prior! He didn't even know if that was possible. It was with Hancock it seemed.

Luffy immediately stated that he was in love with Nami. He logic was that if he just aired that he was already with someone else, Hancock would just get over it. Quite reasonable if you asked him.

Apparently that was the worst thing he could do. According to the doctors his words sent Hancock into party-snack attest. Whatever that was. The doctors explained that it was a heart attack. Luffy had given her a heart attack.

Hancock's sisters nearly beat him to death then and there. Luffy could have stopped them, if it weren't for the fact he himself was panicking. How was he supposed to know that would happen? He didn't even know what love sickness was a few hours ago! He just wanted to help!

It got to the point where Sandersonia and Marigold had to be dragged off of Luffy, and the three of them escorted from the room. It took over an hour for Hancock to be stabilized. The two gorgon sisters sat across the hall from Luffy looking ready to commit murder, while he was freaking out wishing Nami or Chopper was there. Chopper with all his medical knowhow, and Nami because she would actually be able to negotiate the situation without getting anyone killed.

It was at that point that Luffy realised how much he missed Nami. She'd know what to say. She always did. Even now, as Luffy looked out over the city below, he wished Nami was with him so he could hold her, and affirm she was alright. That everything would be fine.

But she wasn't.

That didn't matter though. Luffy knew she was fine, and that everything would work out for the best. It was just going to take a bit more time than first anticipated.

It took a full hour before Hancock was stabilized and awake. She didn't look very happy when Luffy came back into the room. The look on her face was something akin to frigid determination. Her pale and clammy pallor did nothing to lessen the effect. The doctors had been excused from the room and Old Lady Nyon looked like she was sitting on needles.

Luffy wasn't sure how to react. Neither did Hancock's sister by how uncertain they looked when they came in. She started Luffy dead in the eyes, looking for weakness, daring him to flinch. But he held firm.

"Who is this Nami?" She had asked harshly.

"My navigator." Luffy answered easily. Something told him if he wasn't careful, things would get violent.

"And you are in love with her?" Hancock pressed.

"Yup."

Hancock's face barely twitched as he answered her. Nyon, and the two sisters however, looked more and more terrified with every passing word.

"Is she beautiful?"

Luffy could see where she was going and he didn't think it would end well for him. But, he wasn't going to lie.

"Incredibly."

Hancock's eye twitched. Luffy tensed. For someone who suffered a heart attack an hour ago, she looked immensely ready to fight.

"I see." she said, her voice cold and hard, "Do you have a picture of her?"

That confused him. Why would he have a picture of Nami on him?

"I don't." he replied.

"Actually, Snake Princess." Nyon cut in, stepping forward. Hancock's gaze whipped to the old lady with such ferocity a lesser being would have flinched, but Nyon held firm, "While you were being treated, I took the liberty of collecting the posters of Straw Hat pirates, in the event they became relevant."

The old lady handed Nami's wanted poster to the Warlord. Hancock stared down on it with a look of thinly veiled contempt. Her sharp eyes darting over the page taking in every detail.

After a tense few moments, were even Luffy was beginning to feel the need to sweat, Hancock discarded the poster.

"I am unimpressed." she stated, "A man like Luffy deserves a much finer woman than her!"

Hancock leapt to her feet, her frigid demeanor melting instantly. She held her hand over her heart with her nightgown swaying in a nonexistent wind. Her focus was off in the middle distance, imagination clearly running wild.

Even now, well over two hours later, Luffy was still completely baffled by her sudden turn. But he wasn't going to question it.

"I accept this '_Nami'_ as my rival," Hancock decreed, spitting out the navigator's name like it was dirt, "And I shall do everything in my power to win your affections from her!"

She turned and pointed at Luffy, a mix of adoration and steel. Luffy just gawked at her. The others did too. A few scant hours ago, she was trying to have him killed for merely being on her island, and now she was declaring her love for him? Luffy almost pinched himself. He thought he was going to have to fight her.

"Now." Hancock said, looking like someone relieved of a great burden, "I believe there was something you wanted to ask of me, my dear?" her tone was laden with saccharin affection.

Luffy saw his opportunity and joined her on his feet. He didn't care if she was acting weird now, he saw his chance and he was going to take it.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, "I need you to take me to Impel Down! I need to save my brother, Ace!"

"Of course, my love! Anything for you!" Hancock positively squealed, then turned to her sisters and old lady Nyon, "Prepare the Perfume Yuda!" she barked, "We sail at once!"

None of them moved a muscle, clearly still trying to process this turn of events. Hancock turned towards the exit, intent on stalking off gracefully. She took her first step and collapsed like a marionette cut from its strings.

Luffy readjusted his position on the balcony rails so that he leaning back against it, resting on his elbows. That had been over two hours ago now. From what Old Lady Nyon said, Hancock just needed more rest. Even a Warlord couldn't just walk away from a heart attack, but she'd be right as rain come morning.

Everyone had gone to bed after that. The morning was going to be busy. They needed to contact the Marines to get a lift to the prison, as they couldn't just sail there like Hancock was intent on doing. That meant they also needed to work out away to sneak Luffy into the prison as well.

Luffy sighed and stared up at the cloudy sky. He needed to get to bed as well. Tomorrow was shaping up to be a busy day and even he knew that he needed as much rest as he could get. But he was just too anxious. So much had happened, and even more was coming, and Luffy barely had any time to process it all.

Pushing himself off the rail, Luffy began walking inside, not feeling much better. He needed to at least try to get some sleep.

If Nami were here, she'd give him advice like she had after Strong World. Tell him would be alright. He would pull through. Luffy closed his eyes imagining if she were with him.

As soon as Luffy stepped back into the warmth of the palace, he felt her arms wrap around his neck in a hug. Her rough, work worn palm brushing against his cheek.

Luffy could feel it.

Nami wasn't here, but she really was with him always, just like she said she would.

The further he walked inside, the more he felt his nerves wash away. Luffy felt his shoulders straighten, when he hadn't even realised how slumped they had become. Confidence brimmed anew within him.

He would save Ace, and get back to his crew…

And everything would be alright.

.o0o.

_**~Absence and the Heart are funny things~**_

_**(Notes: Oh boy this was entertaining to write, if a little ominous, given what's ahead… regardless, I hope all of you enjoyed it as well! **_

_**I hope this chapter some queries I got about Luffy's sexuality. Oda has always said Luffy does find people attractive, but due to him being so single minded (and the target demographic not being interested in Romance) Luffy is portrayed the way he did. I hope that came across well here.**_

_**One thing! But an **__**IMPORTANT**_ _**thing. Next chapter will be the last before this story goes on hiatus. I mentioned it before, but this is the official notification. It won't be too long however, as it is so I can work on another story I want to write.**_

_**This new story will be 10 chapters long, and as soon as it is done, Tranquil Nights will be back. Sadly, I do not have the time to work on both at the same time, and I'd much rather not burn out on either story. **_

_**Next chapter is Post-Marineford!)**_


	17. The 16th Night

_**~The 16th Night~**_

.o0o.

_(Weatheria)_

Nami would say she was a fan of books. Reading was her favourite pastime growing up, as Cocoyashi had few kids her age - even fewer that wanted to play with her - and Nojiko was always the more practical of the two of them, preferring to be outside working with Bellemere.

As a child Nami was always on the hunt for more books to read. She even went as far as stealing more than a few, even though she almost always got caught by Mr. Gen. But he did pay for the books, most of the time. Nami thought it was a good deal at the time.

At one point, Nami may even have said that she loved reading books, but having met one Nico Robin, she learned that _no one_ on this blue earth, loved reading like she did. That woman could read the Encyclopaedia Magnificum Caeruleum in one sitting and call it enjoyable. Nami liked reading, but she had to draw a line somewhere.

Regardless of that fact, however, Nami liked reading books a lot. But, now, here in Weatheria's main library, she was faced with a new dilemma. That there was such a thing as '_too much reading'_. Nami could feel Robin's incredulous look from across the world, but it was true! She always thought one could never have enough, that reading more would only expand one's horizons and understanding of a topic.

Nope. Nami would happily walk back on those words now.

To her left was a pile of five leather backed books, each a thick as her arm. This was her 'Finished' pile. To her right was a pile of seven more leather bound books that made up her 'Unread' pile. These tomes were to serve as her foundational knowledge for New World weather. Her jumping off point, as it were. Granted when Mr. Haredas handed Nami her reading list, he probably didn't intend for her to read them all in one night, but she never did anything by half, and she'd be damned if she started now.

Her splitting headache was telling her she might have to start soon.

Earlier in the day when Nami received Luffy's message in the paper, following his stunt into Marineford she told Mr. Haredas that she couldn't be an ordinary navigator anymore, she meant it. So when the old wizard handed her the book list and called them 'the basics' she was going to treat them as such. She'd finish the whole list by the end of the night!

Only now that mentality was coming back to bite her in the ass. Nami was sat reading by lamp light, awake at a time far later than she'd normally be up with Luffy. Her was head swimming with words and concepts she'd never even heard of before today. These 'basics' were making her feel like a total novice! She was meant to be one of the best navigators on the Grand Line, goddamnit!

All the cartography books Nami studied for years growing up were made to look like they were written in crayon compared to the book in her hands right now. Reading some of the weather occurrences that happened on just the first half of the Grand Line alone, made Nami wonder if she knew anything at all. Were it not for her latent ability to read the weather, she'd have gotten the crew sunk months ago! But this is why she was here, in this library.

Ignorance, and luck was no longer an excuse. Nami _needed_ to know more. She would be the one to guide the crew through the New World, and she wasn't going to let her ineptitude get in the way! Everyone was depending on her. Luffy was depending on her.

Nami knew she should probably be far more concerned about her beau than she was. Which wasn't to say she wasn't concerned at all, far from it in fact. Before today's paper came in, she was fit to be tied. Her attempts to escape the island had become almost suicidal. She was attempting everything short of tying herself to a bedsheet and trying to paraglide down to sea level. She hand to know what happened to Luffy.

But, thankfully it didn't last too long as the man himself showed up on the front page for going back to Marineford, and pulling some attention grabbing stunt that could only have been Rayleigh's idea, in order to send his message out to everyone.

The stunt itself was pretty ingenious. Ringing the Ox Lloyd's Bell 16 times, and giving flowers to the fallen would have people talking for years. It looked like Luffy was declaring the end of an Era, and the dawn of a new one. Which, to be fair, was pretty much what happened with that god forsaken war. Add in the fact he showed up with Silvers Rayleigh and Jimbei gave the action merit. Meanwhile the actual message remained hidden.

Nami leaned back into her chair, setting the heavy tome down on her desk. She pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her burning eyes shut. She had to remember to ask the old men for a spare pair of reading glasses. If she went any longer without them, she'd end up needing regular glasses.

Stretching her arms far above her head, Nami felt her back crack all the way from the bottom to the top. Oh, how she needed that. A quick glance at the clock told her she'd been studying for over 7 hours straight. Her stomach rumbled. She also had forgotten to eat… Damnit. It was too late now, so oh well.

While she knew Luffy was alive and well, probably already head first in his training already, Nami was worried as to how he was taking his brother's death. Luffy was not a man who dealt with tragedy well, she knew that much. He was all about enjoying himself, and having fun, by way of steering clear of things he didn't like. But this was not something he could avoid. She just hoped he wasn't alone through it all.

Even now Nami wanted to find her Captain, just so she could be with him, and help him through it. Nami spent _years_ mourning Bellemere, and many more just wishing she was still around. All the while being completely alone in her suffering. It was the worst pain imaginable. Knowing Luffy was going through that without any of his friends nearly brought tears to her eyes.

But, Nami had her orders. Train for 2 years, get stronger, and meet back up. It needed to be done. What was to come in the New World was so far beyond them right now, they would be killed within minutes of arriving.

The conversation they had after returning from Strong World came to mind. Luffy had shared his greatest fear to her. His that he wasn't strong enough to protect the crew and would end up alone. Nami remembered how her heart went out to him. For the longest time, her Captain seemed like such an infallible character, like nothing could phase him in any meaningful way.

Yet that changed at Water 7 when Usopp left. When Luffy first shared with her his fear of being alone. Nami comforted him, and helped him back on his feet. Then, that night when he showed her just how deep that fear went, Nami opened up to him, telling him of her past in and effort to bring him comfort. That even if he wasn't strong enough, everyone would be okay.

In hindsight, both of them were right. Luffy wasn't strong enough to defeat Kuma, Sentomaru, or Kizaru, let alone all three of them at once, but then again, all of them together wasn't enough for that.

But it seemed to have worked out for the best.

Yes, the entire crew was split up across the world, sure, but they were all alive, and well. At least Nami hoped the others were. Gods how she hoped. Now, they all had the chance to train and come back even stronger than before.

The problem with that, however, was it was hardly their choice. Luffy did make the call to put their adventure on hold for two years, but being scattered to the wind like they were was a decision that was forced upon them. Had the Tyrant been in a cruel mood, he'd have dumped them in the ocean and left them to drown. Which is what Nami meant about Luck no longer being an excuse.

They couldn't rely on the benevolence of their adversaries to escape situations that had gotten beyond their control. Their first meeting with Aokiji fell under that category as well. Had he come at them with the intent that Kizaru had, they'd have all died before reaching Water 7. Back then Nami didn't realise how out classed they were. She, like everyone else, was largely going off Robin's reaction to the man and his rank. The gulf in power between Aokiji and Luffy was wider than the Red Line was tall.

That couldn't happen anymore.

Nami stood from her desk. Her knees gave a satisfying pop after finally being allowed to straighten out properly. She needed to get to bed. The clock above her head read 3:30am, and Nami wanted to get early to train properly. Studying wasn't the only thing she wanted to do. She would be damned if she didn't go back to the others stronger than she was before! If only the old men had some decent weights about the place…

Placing an old, frayed bookmark onto her last page, Nami closed the tome over. The worry in her chest, wouldn't subside. Whether Luffy was with Rayleigh or not didn't matter. He was without his friends when he needed them most, and would be for 2 years.

She would be reluctant to admit it, but Nami's want to be with Luffy wasn't entirely selfless. She was going to be without the man she loved for 2 years, and it honestly concerned her. Would they drift apart without even knowing? Would he even feel the same about her when they got back? Would she?

It made Nami want to rip her hair out at the roots. She and Luffy had just been getting comfortable with intimacy in their relationship again with Thriller Bark drifting further and further away from memory. Now, it felt like they were worlds apart, and who knew how bad it would be when they saw each other again.

It made Nami's insides shrivel.

She could see it, her and Luffy standing on Sunny's deck at night, that special look of affection that he kept just for her was gone, never to be seen again. Luffy just smiles happily at her, apologises, and says he just isn't interested any more.

Nami doesn't believe it for a second. It's a pile of bullshit made up by her own insecurities and will ultimately mean nothing. Luffy has never shied away from how much he cares for her, and vice versa. 2 measly years apart won't change that…

She just wished she could tell that to the knot in her stomach.

With a weary sigh Nami picked up her 'read' pile of books and began walking around the library to file them away. No point in leaving a mess. The other pile could stay, seeing as she'd back for them in the morning. She'd spent hours reading and reading while stewing on her worries. It wasn't healthy. Her aching head and burning eyes agreed.

It really was time for bed. Maybe she would feel better in the morning. Or, at the very least, once she'd gotten used to being here. It was weird for her not having the waves rocking her to sleep anymore.

Making to leave for the exit, Nami gave one look back over the library before turning out the lights. She could only hope that Luffy and the others were doing just as well as she was.

.o0o.

_(Ruskaina)_

Dying embers crackled in the fire pit. The odd glowing piece of ash was carried away in the soft, evening breeze like fireflies in the night. Luffy watched them vanish into the trees. His heart clenched seeing them disappear.

The clearing Luffy and Rayleigh had made camp in was surrounded on all sides by thick trees and heavy underbrush. The forest around them was dark, and filled with the sounds of insects chirping their eerie tunes. The sky was framed beautifully by swaying branches. The last dregs of light were being chased away by the coming night, signalled for by every new star that twinkled into life.

Luffy sat up against one of the logs that he and Rayleigh had been using as seats for their camp looking mournfully into the fire. Emotions churned in his mind and his heart. Waves of sadness crashed against his chest making the bandages he still wore feel tighter and tighter with every passing breath. Anger and frustration burned in his mind. Images of the last week played out between the tongues of flame.

Yet, Luffy sat perfectly still. Holding it all back out of fear. Fear of losing himself to grief like he had before. Fear of the pain he would feel. And most of all, the pain of having to face his own failure.

Holding back is all that Luffy'd been doing this past week. From the moment Jimbei confronted and remind him of what he still had left, to going back to Marineford, to this very moment. Bottling it all up so he could get stronger and return to his crew. It was bad enough that Luffy had been so weak before, he absolutely refused to be weak when he returned to them.

But it was becoming harder.

Everyday he was reminded of Ace. Everywhere Luffy went brought back memories of his childhood, running through the forest, hunting animals, and training for hours on end. He had never been on this island before but now it was like he never left Mount Corvo. Ace was everywhere Luffy looked.

He was in the trees, swinging from branches, in rivers fishing, and in between the bushes looking for food. Even now, Luffy saw Ace in the dying embers of the campfire, his death being acted out by the smouldering wood.

Ace laying face down on the cold, hard ground flashed through Luffy's mind. Where it not for the horrific hole seared through his body, Ace could have been mistaken for someone who drifted off to sleep with a serene smile on his face.

A lump formed in Luffy's throat. He tried to swallow it but it refused to move. His eyes began to sting, with tears forming quickly.

"_Thank you… for loving me"_

Ace's final words played through Luffy's mind on repeat. Even as he was dying, Ace could only think of thanking those that loved him. A tear rolled down Luffy's cheek. He was fighting just to keep his breathing from becoming ragged. Crying wasn't going to help. It wasn't going to bring Ace back. There was no point to it anymore! He just needed to move forward and get stronger!

Luffy desperately wiped at his eyes, using the bandages on his arms to dry up the tears, and sniffed deeply. He had cried enough already. The only thing to do now was to hold onto it tightly until it didn't hurt anymore. Just like with Sabo.

Sabo…

A fresh wave of grief rolled over Luffy. His stomach twisted so hard it made him want to retch. He was the only one left.

The three of them promised to live with no regrets, as the freest men on the seas, and Luffy was the last one. Sabo was killed before he even got the chance to be free. He had everything taken from him before he even got the chance to live. Ace spent his last days a prisoner. Beaten bloody everyday, and chained to a wall. He died just minutes from freedom, all because his stupid little brother couldn't let a stupid piece of paper go.

Pain spiked through Luffy's chest. The bandages around his torso constricted so much he couldn't breathe. The air was getting hotter and hotter. The sound of lava began bubbling in his ears. The sickening smell of burning flesh assaulted Luffy's nose.

Suddenly, he was back at Marineford.

Gunshots, and the clash of swords echoed around him. The screams of the injured and dying were little more than white noise melding against cacophony of blood rushing through Luffy's ears. The weight of Ace's body leaned on Luffy once more. He could feel his brothers blood soaking into his vest.

Luffy squeezed his eyes shut, and clenched his teeth. Breathing was getting harder, coming only in short, sharp bursts. The wound on his chest began to burn and ache. Luffy grasped helplessly at his hair, sweat and tears poured down his face so thick and fast he couldn't tell which was which.

"_Even though I have the blood of a demon in my veins…"_

Ace's voice rung in Luffy's ears once more. Why wouldn't it stop? He gripped tighter at his head, to the point he could feel his scalp stretching against his fingers. His scar burned hotter and hotter. Luffy was now panting for breath that just wouldn't come. He pulled his legs up into himself and pressed his forehead against his knees.

"_Thank you…"_

Luffy's sobs came out as nothing more than wracking coughs, that only served to push more air out of his lungs that just couldn't be replaced. He just wanted it to stop! Why wouldn't it stop! Ace was dead, he knew that! He accepted that! Why was it haunting him like some kind of looming spectre?

Luffy was starting to feel light headed. The clearing had vanished and all that was left was Marineford. The bodies, pirate and marine, scattered around him like discarded paper, the smell of gunpowder and blood, permeated the air. Ace was in his arms. Luffy could see the blood on his hands.

His brothers blood.

It was his fault. He was the reason Ace was dead.

"_For loving me…"_

'_Stop it!'_ Luffy's mind begged. He'd lived through this once, he couldn't do it again.

The weight of Ace's body slide from Luffy's and hit the concrete with a dull, wet thud. Dead. Luffy screamed.

"STOP IIIIT!"

"Luffy!" a voice broke through, "Luffy, can you hear me?"

There was a hand on his shoulder, shaking him roughly. It felt like it was holding him up against a wall. He was trapped.

Luffy's eyes shot open. He was met with a view full of dirt and trampled grass. His gaze darted up at the shadowed figure hunched over him. It was dark now, so he couldn't make out the figure properly but there was one thing he could see.

A white coat.

His panic addled mind went straight for the worst conclusion. Akainu. Heart thundering in his ears, Luffy leapt to his feet, and lashed out at the figure with a wide, right hook. He swung with all his might, ignoring the painful protest of his still healing bones.

The figure stepped back, easily dodging the attack. The momentum of the punch carried on, having not met its intended target. Luffy's weak knees and unsure footing gave out under him, making him stumble with the swing. He fell to the ground.

Wide eyed, and panicking, Luffy hurried to scramble away from the man he thought to be Akainu. His mind was racing. He needed to get as far away as possible. Akainu would kill him, making Ace's sacrifice worthless! He didn't want to die!

On his hands and knees Luffy tried his best to get away, but he just couldn't get purchase on the loose dust that covered the ground. He couldn't get far before his grip vanished and he fell to his stomach. But he kept going. He needed to. Luffy didn't want to face that man yet. He wasn't strong enough! He hadn't even begun his training yet.

In Luffy's mad dash, one arm dropped all his weight onto something small, plump, and feathery. There was a sickening crunch, and loud, horrible squawk, that sounded awfully like the death knell of a crow. It made Luffy flinch. He lost his grip once more and collapsed, robbed of his adrenaline fueled strength.

The figure approached slowly, hands raised. Luffy was completely helpless. He couldn't fight back, or run away. There was nothing he could do. He clenched his eyes shut, waiting. Waiting for the heat on his skin, the thick bubbling in the air and the roar of absolute hatred.

But it never came.

"Luffy." A gentle, fatherly voice spoke.

Slowly, Luffy cracked his eyes open. The person kneeling next to him wasn't Akainu, and certainly not anyone out to kill him. It was Rayleigh. He held his hand out for Luffy to take. He looked relieved.

"Back with us now, Luffy?" Rayleigh asked lightly.

Slowly, Luffy sat up, rubbing the side of his head. It was caked with sweat and dirt.

"Rayleigh?" Luffy asked, his voice was rough. His breathing was still heavy, but he was finally able to take in a lungful of air that he sorely needed, "What happened?"

The older man lowered his hand, and stroked his beard, "It would seem you had a panic attack." he explained, "It was making your Conqueror's Haki run rampant."

" A panic attack? My Haki?" Luffy parroted, his brain was still swimming and barely able to take on the information.

"Indeed," Rayleigh hummed, "They can happen as a result experiencing something immensely traumatising. Which, for you, would be the events of Marineford. I believe that in your attempts to make it stop, you used your Conqueror's Haki and successfully knocked every living creature within a mile unconscious."

"O-oh…" was all Luffy could utter. He had done that?

Completely robbed of his strength, Luffy's hands and knees were shaking almost violently, even with him just sitting on the ground. It was taking time, but Luffy's heart rate and breathing were beginning to slow, allowing the fog of confusion in his mind to lift.

Rayleigh held out his hand once more for Luffy to take, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Luffy took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. It wasn't any surprise but Rayleigh was really strong.

As soon as he was on his feet, Luffy realised his legs weren't going to support him very well. Rayleigh clocked on this and wrapped an arm across his back for support, and together they slowly hobbled back to their camp.

Rayleigh let Luffy drop to the ground, somewhat unceremoniously, and went over to the fire pit. Luffy, leaned back onto the log-bench behind him, letting the weight of exhaustion roll over him. Silently he cursed himself. He'd barely trained today, it being the first day and all, yet here he was ready to pass out because of some picnic attack or something. Just how weak was he?

Luffy watched his teacher throw some sticks from a nearby pile onto the fire pit, pull some tinder and matches from his coat pocket and relight the fire. Rayleigh waited for the fire to catch properly before rejoining Luffy. The fresh light source bathed the clearing in a warm, earthy glow. The soft crackle of burning wood was all that could be heard.

"Here." Rayleigh said. Luffy looked over to see him offering a gourd of water. He looked up at his teacher slightly bewildered.

"I went to get us water remember?" Rayleigh chuckled, "Clean yourself up. It'll make you feel better."

Now that he mentioned it, Luffy did feel gross, and it was more than the lasting effects of his panic attack. The drying sweat and dirt on his face felt like a second skin. He snatched the bottle from Rayleigh and poured the water over his head.

It was surprisingly refreshing!

The sweat and dirt that had caked itself onto Luffy's face felt like it was melting away. The cold water running down his cheek felt like heaven on his burning skin. The aching exhaustion sitting in his muscles remained, but at least he didn't feel like he'd be dragged through a swamp.

"You know..." Rayleigh began looking at Luffy with sympathetic eyes, his tone was soft and took on that fatherly quality it had earlier, "What you went through was incredibly difficult. I doubt doubt there is a single person alive that could suffer like you did and come out unscathed."

Luffy listened carefully as he wiped his face clean with his vest, but said nothing.

"You shouldn't be too hard on yourself."

Luffy froze, vest up against his face. How did Rayleigh know? Did he read his mind? An unfamiliar sensation came over Luffy. It wasn't the hefty weight of sadness, nor the burning heat of anger or frustration. It felt more like a cold shrivelling in his gut, that seemed to pull his gaze to the ground.

… Was this shame?

"I…" Luffy spoke, but his voice caught in his throat. His emotions were clear. He cleared his throat and continued, "Will it happen again?"

He was completely unable to meet his teacher's gaze. His heart pounded dreading the answer. How could Luffy keep up training if he was just going to keep shutting down like that? Was it something he was going to have to deal with for the rest of his life? Luffy didn't want that. To live in fear of his own mind.

"It will. Most certainly." Rayleigh answered easily, making Luffy heart sink, "But you have nothing to be ashamed of, Luffy. Greater men than you or I have fallen to grief of a lesser magnitude than yours."

Luffy didn't look up. He gripped his hands together, desperately willing this horrid new feeling to go away. Rayleigh spoke the truth. Luffy knew that. Jimbei had certainly made it clear, along with the fact he needed to move on, and not let his grief control him.

"Then why won't it go away?" Luffy asked lowly, sounding like his was about to break, "How will I be able to get stronger if I keep breaking down like this? I can't face my friends if I haven't gotten stronger."

Without looking, Luffy could hear Rayleigh shake his head and let out a weary sigh, "You don't seem to understand, Luffy, trauma doesn't go away after a week, or just because you want it too." he explained patiently, "It's something that will always remain apart of you. You need to learn to deal with it, to overcome it, and with time the worst of it will pass."

They sat in silence while Luffy digested Rayleigh's words. The only sound between them was that of the crackling fire. The fire danced over the logs, just like it had over Ace's body. The thought made Luffy's heart twist painfully. He wished Nami was here. He just wanted to hold her and have her tell him everything would be alright. These next two years would be painful.

"There's one more thing you seem to have misunderstood." Rayleigh said softly, yet his words seemed to resonate around the clearing, "What makes you weak is your lack of strength and inexperience. Not this. This is what makes you human."

Luffy looked up at his mentor who sat barely two feet from him. His eyes looked a hundred years old as they reflected swirling fire. Like he was remembering something painful.

Swallowing thickly, Luffy looked up to the sky. The small patch that could be seen from their little clearing was absolutely laden with stars. This was just one more obstacle that he needed to conquer. And he would.

Luffy picked out eight of the brightest stars. One for each of his crew, and renewed his promise to get stronger to them.

"Okay." He said after a minute. Rayleigh looked at him like he had been pulled from a vivid memory, "What do I need to do?"

Rayleigh chuckled. He found Luffy's new found determination amusing apparently.

"I'll tell you that when I've figured it out myself!" He grinned, "Until then, you need to face it. Don't hide from it, don't run from it, and certainly never bottle it up."

Yet, those were the three things Luffy had been doing since last week…

"_Hey Luffy… Promise me something… If you ever get like that again, talk to me, okay?"_

That night on Water 7 sprang to mind. Luffy had promised Nami to talk to her if he ever felt down again. Even though she wasn't here, it felt like he had broken that promise to her. That shameful feeling came back…

Then out of the corner of his eye, for just a moment, Luffy swore he could see her. Nami sitting right next to him. She was leaning back on her elbows, legs stretched out in front of her. The light of the fire caught her skin much like his had that night after Drum. She looked radiant. Nami turned to him, and gave the brightest, most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.

Just like on Amazon Lily. Nami was still here with him. Over the course of the last week and a bit, Luffy had forgotten that fact. Lost in all the chaos that had happened, but now he remembered as clear as day.

Luffy looked back at the dying campfire, and instead of seeing Ace, he saw his friends. All of them sitting around, drinking and chatting away. They were all here.

Determination burned through his veins.

"Good!" Luffy declared to the world around him, "Then I know what I need to do!"

Another silence fell between them, but this time it was light, and hopeful. Like everything had just begun anew.

"So, tell me Luffy." Rayleigh spoke up, taking a swig of his own water bottle, "Tell me about your crew."

Luffy looked up at him, head tilted in confusion, "My crew? What about them?" He asked, bewildered.

"Well I don't know much about them other than by reputation and our little chat in the Rip-Off Bar." the older man clarified, "They seem like an interesting bunch. What made you pick them?"

A vibrant grin broke out on Luffy's face. He would _never_ let an opportunity to gush about his friends go amiss.

"Lots of reasons!" Luffy smiled, "But mostly 'cause of how cool they are! I mean, I didn't even know Chopper was a doctor! He was just so amazing I had to have him on my crew!"

"I can understand that!" Rayleigh laughed merrily, "Young Chopper does seem incredibly interesting, with how young, yet intelligent he is."

Luffy nodded along happily, "Yup!" He replied, popping the 'p', "He also has the best control of his Devil Fruit of anyone on the crew! He's a Zoan with, like, 7 different forms!"

His mentor let out a low whistle,"I saw some of them during our fight with the marines. I'm impressed. I've scarcely heard of a Zoan with more than 3."

"You think that's cool? Wait 'til you hear about Zoro!" Luffy was positively beaming now, all previous worries forgotten. The fact the First Mate of the greatest ever Pirate crew was complimenting his was amazing!

"He's your First Mate, yes?" Rayleigh queried, "And one of the Supernovas?"

"He is!" Luffy nodded, "I didn't really make him First Mate, but he stepped into it so well he couldn't be anything else."

"A good trait to have, for sure." Rayleigh agreed, "To see what needs done and to take the initiative to do it. You have a good right hand."

Luffy beamed at his teacher, "I know, right?" he laughed, "And then there's Usopp! He's a really good liar and inventor. Like, _really_ good. He build Nami's Clima-Tact and everything!"

"I have no idea what a 'Clima-Tact' is, but it must be quite impressive." Rayleigh said good naturedly.

"It really it! Nami uses it to fight, and it lets her use weather magic!" Luffy explained.

"Weather magic?" The older man raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Nami and Usopp tried to explain it to me once, but it's super complicated, so I call 'weather magic'" Luffy elaborated without missing a beat.

"Ah, I see." Rayleigh nodded, "And what of the rest of your crew?"

"Well, there's our cook Sanji, he wants to find All Blue!" Luffy held up his fingers to start counting them off.

"All Blue you say?" Rayleigh asked, sounding surprised, "I haven't heard anyone talk about that in years!"

"Well, don't say anything!" Luffy urged, "It's gonna be an amazing adventure, and I don't want it spoiled for me!"

"I couldn't say anything even if I wanted to." he laughed, "We never found it!"

"Wait, what?" Luffy gawked at the man. Not even the crew that made it all the way to the end of the world found All Blue. That means his crew would be the first.

"Yeah, we spent months looking." the old pirate explained, "We learned a lot about it, but we never found it."

"Woah!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. What a way to set up an adventure! A place so hard to find, not even the King of the Pirates could get there! Sanji was going to be so stoked!

"So, what of your navigator, Nami?" Rayleigh asked, pulling him back on topic, "You seem to be very close with her."

"Of course she's my…my…" He'd forgotten the word. Nami used it once when laying the ground rules, but it was gone now, "Fem-friend? No... Girl-pal? That's not it…" he muttered to himself. It was on the tip of his tongue too! Luffy felt his forehead begin to heat up from the thinking.

"Girlfriend?" Rayleigh offered.

"Yeah! That's it." Luffy declared, snapping his fingers, "She's my girlfriend."

"Ah, of course. And you're well aware of the risks involved?"

"What do you mean?"

"If anyone found out about your relationship, they might try and use it against you."

"Oh yeah! I don't worry about that." Luffy grinned, "Nami's a lot stronger than she givers herself credit for. We've got each other's backs. Then there's the rest of the crew to back us up."

"You two have a healthy dynamic, it seems." Rayleigh approved, "It reminds me a little of myself and Shakky."

"Shakky's your girlfriend?" Luffy exclaimed. She was so cool when he met her back in Sabaody. To think two cool old people like them were together!

"She's my wife, actually." Rayleigh corrected.

"Woah!" That was even better.

"It seems you and I will have something in common over the next two years?" Rayleigh said, taking another swig.

"What's that?" Luffy asked.

"We'll both be missing our better halves." The old man joked.

Luffy chuckled lightly, "Yeah, I guess so. We better put in a lot of work to make up for it then."

Rayleigh held up his gourd in a mock toast, "I'll drink to that!" He laughed, then drained the bottle, "Welp, we best get to bed now, gonna be up bright and early to start training properly."

"Right!" Luffy agreed, finishing off what little water was left in his bottle.

The two of them get up and went over to the pit and began kicking dirt onto the remaining embers, leaving them both in faint starlight. Rayleigh went over to his pack and pulled out two blankets that would be serving as their beds for the next two years.

Luffy took his happily. His panic attack suddenly didn't seem so big. It would come again, but he would get through it. He'd survived worse in this last week alone, so he would survive this too. His goal, while far in the distance, was well within sight, and Luffy would be damned if he let himself get stopped here.

He thought of Nami, of Zoro, of Usopp, and of everyone else. He would see them again soon enough.

.o0o.

_**~Our Faults Make Us Stronger~**_

_**(Notes: And Part 1 is finished! I'm really, really enjoying writing this, but it is time for a break. **_

_**So, a couple things; **_

_**First; Like with chapter 7, I crave a boon! Tell me what you think! What do you think of the story? The plot? Characterization? My writing on a whole? And I don't just want positive feedback either, what problems do you have with it? (and before you say spelling and grammar, I'm already on that, promise!) I really wanna hear it all!**_

_**Second; About the next story! It will be called 'A Letter to My Younger Self'. It is exactly what the title implies. It will be 10 chapters long, one for each Straw Hat, and chapters should be roughly 2k-4k words long. So I might even be able to post two in a week. If you're interested, first chapter should be up by the end of this week/start of next week!**_

_**Thank you all so much for reading! It really means a lot :)**_

_**Next Chapter is Post-Time Skip!)**_


	18. The 17th Night

_**~The 17th Night~**_

.o0o.

Thinking about it Nami could hardly believe it had been 2 years since they fought Kuma, since everyone got separated, and since she had last seen all her friends. It was surreal. Barely 3 days ago she woke up in her bed on Weatheria, ready to gather the last few items and books she needed before returning to Sabaody, and now it felt like a dream. Like those 2 whole years were just a dream.

It was the evening after they had thwarted Hody Jones' plans to destroy fishman island - he called it 'saving the island' but that was more bullshit than a cow put out in a year - and everyone was partying hard in celebration. Post battle parties were something of a tradition before Sabaody happened. A tradition that everyone slipped back into as if they were never gone. Nami was left both amazed and relieved.

Amazed at how little effect the time and distance had on the crew's relationships with one another. Sure, now Nami could - and would - say; 'Nothing as small as years apart could change our friendship!' or something cheesy like that, and it wasn't like she was expecting the time to have affected them, but she felt it would have been a little naive as to expect _nothing_ to change between them all. Yet nothing did.

From the moment everyone started meeting up again they may as well have all been on a weekend away. Questions of 'How have you been?', 'Where did you go?', and 'What did you do?' were abound, and everyone just sort of slipped back into their place on the ship.

Zoro was still the muscle headed idiot with more common sense than he let on. He was being oddly vague on what happened to his left eye. It made Nami wonder if it was anything like what happened on Thriller Bark. Neither Zoro, nor Sanji - who seemed to know something about it - would say anything on that either. Speaking of...

Sanji was still a love drunk dork, only now with an almost cruel nosebleed problem from "_being starved of women"_... if such a thing was possible. Apparently the Kamabakka Queendom, upon which he had been stranded, consisted almost entirely of male Okama, all of whom seemed to take an almost sadistic pleasure in chasing Sanji across the island, kicking his ass and forcing to 'play dress up' whenever they caught him. A cruel and unusual punishment for sure.

A tyrant Kuma may have been, but no one can say he didn't have a sense of humour.

Usopp had gotten in shape big time, but he was still the same lying sniper everyone knew and loved. Despite remaining very much a coward, he was faster to overcome his fears and actually get down to business. It was honestly amazing to see how much Usopp had grown over the last two years - including from when they met him in Syrup Village - but there was a small part of Nami that was glad he was still a coward. It meant she wasn't the only normal person on the crew.

Chopper was still the same adorably naive kid he was before. Who knew what medicinal wizardry he had crammed into his noggin over the time away, but the biggest change for him was that he'd grown, physically at least. His Walking Point was the size of a full grown reindeer, and he was as handsome as well. Nami could have sworn his Monster Point had grown a few feet too.

There was something amusing about how intellectually Chopper was as respected among the crew for his knowledge as herself, Robin, or Franky. Yet when it came to matters outside of medicine, the likes of Robin or Zoro doted on him like parents, while Usopp or Luffy treated him like a little brother. A small thing, but it really made Nami smile. It reminded her of how close everyone was.

The ones who had changed most were Robin and Franky. The former on a more emotional level, and the latter physically.

Franky had gone full on cyborg. There was hardly an inch of him that wasn't 'upgraded' in some way or another from his big, blocky arms and spherical shoulders, to the several feet in height he gained. Dude was taller than Brook now! All of those things Nami could see a use for in one way or another, heck Franky even showed them off during the battle on the Plaza, but the one thing Nami could not fathom, was his new obsession with robots robots. What was he? 5?

That General Shogun - or whatever he called it - was utterly useless. The only thing it had going for it was a massive sword, which did nothing in comparison to the damage Franky could do on his own. His radical beam was a little garish for Nami's tastes but it was destructive in a way the other Strawhats could hardly replicate. So what use was that giant tin can? The fact that each of the individual vehicles it was comprised of _actually did something_ only drove the point home.

Yet Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper loved it. Boys will be boys, Nami supposed.

The big difference in Robin was simply that she was happier. Or rather, she displayed her happiness more openly. Before the older woman always kept a tight lid on her emotions even after the events of Enies Lobby. It was like Robin was scared she was dreaming and that showing any emotion at all would cause her to wake up. It really did Nami's heart good to see the woman who she saw as an older sister lighten up so much. It was Robin, after all, that worked Nami and Luffy together, however indirectly. Something of which Nami would be forever grateful for.

Brook was still Brook, feather boa or not. The skeleton man had gotten himself a more colourful wardrobe - if Nami was being kind - and a guitar. She did remember him saying in passing that he could play any instrument at all when they met, so it was great to see him actually making use of his talents and becoming some kind of worldwide celebrity. He hadn't changed much otherwise, but Nami was proud that Brook had pulled himself together as well as he had.

A dream those 2 years may have seemed, but it could not be understated how thankful Nami was to be back with everyone.

Nami walked out onto a large stone balcony on the upper floors of the Ryugu Palace. Even at night time, under the immensely limited light of a Fishman Island night, she could still see far out onto the island proper. It was a beautiful sight. There was a faint ripple effect covering the land, caused by the ocean's movement across the bubble that surrounded the island, marked only the shadow of the occasional passing fish.

The fact that a place like Fishman Island could exist was nothing short of miraculous. Even by the standards set by the Grand Line - Sky Islands and all - this island was an anomaly. For it to exist where it does, get light how it does, and have all the resources that it does, was amazing.

It was such a shame the population had been suffering with such a dark shadow for so long. It was a little like Saboady in that sense. A truly beautiful locale, cursed with a burden that it dare not share with the rest of the world. The main difference being that, Fishman Island's problems were largely the result of Sabaody's problems.

They had gotten trapped in a vicious spiral that was slowly dragging down them down further from the light that Queen Otohime had wished for them. Spawning monsters like Arlong and Hody Jones, and leaving good men like Jinbei and King Neptune to suffer. At least now, after the battle on the plaza, the citizens of the island can finally start taking steps to heal, and move away from the toxic mentalities that were drowning their society for decades.

That battle had hardly been the most difficult fight the crew had been in - Nami could still feel the aching in her bones after Enies Lobby - but it was by far the trickiest. Jinbei had made it clear from the beginning they could not come across as the instigators, or brutal in any way. If they had, it would have been turned into an incident of Human on Fishman violence, and serve only to add fuel to the fires of hate. Thankfully, however, the events on Gyoncorde Plaza had played out in their favour. In no small part due to what an unrepentant asshole Hody Jones was.

Still, on the face of it 100,000 vs 10 was quite the intimidating scenario to face. Or at least it would have been were it not for the fact that the entire crew was magnitudes stronger than any single fishman there, and that Luffy took out half of them without so much as raising a finger.

Nami had to admit it; Haki was cool.

Dropping 50,000 individuals with a mere thought was the sort of stuff she read about in books as a kid. The sort of fantasy books that Mr. Gen would have called 'rubbish' or were thinly veiled copies of Sora, Warrior of the Sea. Yet here was her Captain, her _boyfriend_, pulling it off in front of tens of thousands of people like it was no big deal.

They had come such a long way.

To think there was a time when Arlong seemed like a threat. He was for sure, at the time, but now he was so far below them, Nami was certain that she herself would be able to take him on no problem. Hell, Hody himself would have caused more problems with those energy pills of his, but that was all he had. Even his drugged up super strength, plus the advantage of being underwater meant nothing in the face of actual skill and power.

It really did look like they were set for the New World. Nami was sure it wouldn't be a cake walk, but everyone now has the tools to adapt and overcome whatever that hellish sea could throw at them.

But that was tomorrow's journey.

Tonight was one of celebration and revelry. Or at least it was a night of celebration and revelry. Everyone had either drank too much and passed out - Zoro, Sanji, Usopp - or had just straight up gone to bed, - Chopper, Robin, Brook. Nami was fairly certain that the only ones left awake in the palace was herself and Luffy, and who knew where he was right now.

Nami sighed and sat up against the marble railing of the balcony, facing the palace proper. She and Luffy hadn't been able to get so much as a minute together just by themselves. Sure, they shared a tight, and affectionate embrace when they all got on the Thousand Sunny for the first time in years, but that had been cut short by the fact that they were under attack by marines. Kinda put that reunion on hold. Then it certainly wasn't made any better they submerged and got ambushed by the New Fishmen Assholes.

That was yesterday morning. The whole day had been spent basically getting involved with the island and its various problems. Then today was a bit of rest and recovery, even though Luffy was the only one that needed it, followed by a massive party held here at the Palace, hosted by King Neptune himself. Everyone had been having fun and socializing, but Nami was starting to want a bit of alone time with her significant other.

Before the party ended she did have a word in Luffy's ear to come find her when it was all over, just so they could get back in their pattern of nightly talks. Given how privacy was so hard to come by on the Sunny, plus with either of them wanted to do other things with other crew members, the nights were the only real time they got together. To miss out on that would be a damned shame.

Nami looked up over the shadow of the colossal stone dragon that snaked its way around the many different pillars and wings of the Palace. It was a truly monstrous piece of masonry that really made the Ryugu Palace stand out against all the others she had seen during her time at sea. Granted, she'd only seen, what? 3? Alabasta, Drum and Shiki's on Strong World. Not many. Though calling Shiki's place a 'palace' was pushing it a little-

"Oh, you're still awake."

A familiar, and welcome greeting interrupted Nami's train of thought. Looking down towards the doorway from which the voice originated. The dark made it hard to make out the silhouette, but there was no mistaking who it was.

"I am." she replied, a wide grin spreading across her face, "So are you."

Luffy began walking towards Nami, who in return pushed off the balcony rail and towards him. There was no pace to their gaits. No rush, or hurry. They had all the time in the world, and like the pirates they were, they would take as much of it as they could.

Meeting in the middle, they wrapped their arms around each other in a hug, Luffy's arms going above her shoulders, and Nami's going under his. They pulled each other tight and sank into the embrace.

Their hug wasn't desperate. It wasn't needy. It was firm, and intimate. They were making up for lost time. 2 years worth of embraces like this, where they just stood and took each other in, looking for nothing but the presence of the other. Luffy buried his face into the curls of Nami's hair, breathing in deeply taking in the smell of oranges and freshly minted coins that was so distinctly her. She returned the favour pressing her face into the soft material of his cardigan. Luffy had filled out somewhat during his time away, so much so that Nami could trace the various sinews sculpted into his back.

For those brief moments, the world melted away into nothing, leaving only them.

After hours - or was it minutes? - they pulled away from each other, Nami resting her arms on Luffy's shoulders, and his moving to her hips. She shivered a little feeling his rough thumb brushing over her sides.

"You're late." Nami stated lightly.

"Hehe, sorry," Luffy replied, placing his forehead against hers, "Sorry, this place is a maze!"

Nami raised an eyebrow is mock disbelief, "Oh? And you didn't think to use your Observation Haki then?"

She held a giggle as his brow wrinkled against hers.

"But I did!" Luffy moaned, "I knew where you were, but I couldn't get to you."

"And you didn't start breaking down walls to get to me?" Nami gasped dramatically, "I'm offended!"

"I would have!" Luffy placated frantically, his eyes furiously searching hers for any sign that she was actually offended, "But, I didn't want to start breaking down Bro-hoshi, and Weepyhoshi's house!"

Nami grinned. Her eyes crinkling in great amusement. Her boyfriend stopped his pleading and held her gaze for just a moment, realization dawning on his face.

"You're teasing me, aren't you?"

He had got quicker at catching on. "Guilty as charged."

"You're still really mean." Luffy grumbled. Nami giggled. He hadn't changed.

They lapsed into silence, holding each other's gaze. Moments passing between them…

It really made Nami consider him. What, if anything, had changed about Luffy in the past 2 years? After all, he was the one that went through the most after everyone got sent flying on Sabaody, so would have made sense for it to have affected him in some way?

Now, she would be the first to admit that there hadn't been time for the whole crew to sit around and swap stories for what they had gotten up to during their training, and even less time for herself and Luffy to talk. Nami knew Zoro trained with Dracule Mihawk. How he pulled that off will forever be a mystery. Usopp bragged about being on a dangerous island with a beetle looking knight called Heracles, and Robin ended up with The Fucking Revolutionaries.

Luffy himself, Nami knew, landed on the Island of Women, Amazon Lily. Both the base and kingdom of one Boa Hancock; Pirate Empress, and Warlord of the Sea. Kuma must have thought he was being fucking hilarious as he torturously tore the crew apart. The asshole.

How Luffy didn't get murdered on the principle of being on the Island of Women was pretty damn astonishing enough, ignoring the fact he almost immediately went from there to Impel Down.

Of course, Nami only learned of this after the fact, and it's what came after that would have really had an affect on him. His brother died in front of him. The man who Luffy had set as a goal to strive for out on the sea, who meant the world to him died. Right before him. Luffy always spoke so highly of Ace, and Nami could see why; he was such a kindred spirit to her captain.

Brothers in blood they may not have been, but brothers they were in every way that counted.

To lose him was a devastating blow.

Nami could relate to him in that way with how she lost Bellemere. She was a wreck for months, and it completely altered her view of the world for years after. There was the unfortunate follow up of her being taken captive by her mother's murders which contributed to that, but then again Luffy lost Ace in a literal war.

How he retained his sunny disposition was a credit to both his strength of character and those who helped him through it. Nami made a mental note to thank Rayleigh personally when she next saw him. Luffy stood opposite her, arms around her waist, looking at her with the same loving gaze he did 2 years ago. If it weren't for that angry, red 'X' seared onto his chest, you'd never guess anything happened to him.

With little thought to the action Nami broke gaze with Luffy, eyes drifting down to his chest. She brushed her fingertips on the top of his chest as soft as a breath of wind, and slowly began pulling them down towards the wound. Her breath hitched when she reached the offending scar.

There was a solid divot from where Luffy's skin transitioned from regular muscle to scar tissue. It felt like there was absolutely no muscle underneath his skin. Nami felt his pectorals twitch from contact with what was probably still a rather sensitive area. Applying a small amount of pressure she could definitely confirm there was only bone underneath the surface.

It felt like nothing more than a paper cut would go straight to the bone.

Nami wanted to tear up. This happened when they, the crew, weren't there for him. When she wasn't there for him. She brushed her thumb lightly over the scar. To think Luffy would carry this reminder on his chest for the rest of his life.

"Come on," Nami was pulled out of her reverie by Luffy voice rumbling through his chest, "Let's go sit down."

They went and sat down against the wall of the palace, looking up over the darkened ocean above.

Thoughts of how Luffy got his scar weighed heavily on Nami's mind. The paper's coverage of the war in the following days was as gruesome as it was hyperbolic - at least that's what she hoped was the case - but it mostly served as propaganda for the Marines, and such was sparse on details regarding Luffy other than him "_being struck a surely lethal blow by the great Admiral Akainu"._ Nami would have hated to see what kind of man could do what he did to Luffy.

She shook her head vigorously and leaned into Luffy's side. He responded by placing an arm across her shoulders and hugging her into him. Nami really needed to take her mind off such a morbid topic. She didn't want to go grey sooner than she had to. Thankfully she had just the conversation in mind

"Hey, Luffy?"

"Yeah?"

"How does your Observation Haki work?"

Luffy sat forward a little and looked at her quizzically, "My Observation Haki? Why do you wanna know?"

Nami shrugged lightly, "It's just interesting to me. Haki is such a unique set of powers for someone to have, and Observation seems the most versatile to me, outside of fighting that is. So I wanna know what it's actually like to use, if you get me."

"Oh, I get you!" Luffy replied happily, "Hmm, well it's kinda weird to explain if you haven't used it, though…"

"Try me anyway," Nami retorted, "I'm smart, remember? I'll probably pick it up faster than you did!"

"Haha! That would be awesome! It'd be so cool if you could learn too!" He laughed, his shoulder shook her slightly, "So, Observation Haki is, um… it's like a err…"

Nami grinned as Luffy struggled to find the words to describe this semi-obscure, and likely very complicated ability he has. She was well aware that Luffy learned better through physical activity than explanation, and as such, Rayleigh probably had to physically beat the techniques into her boyfriend's head.

"Go on Luffy," Nami teased merrily, "Use your words."

"I'm trying, but it's really weird." he moaned, frustrated, "Rayleigh told me what it was and what I should try, then he blindfolded me and beat me with a stick."

Nami snorted ungracefully. Had she been taking a drink, it surely would have been sprayed over everywhere. That was amazing! The Dark King standing over Luffy with a big stick furiously swinging at him and yelling for him to dodge was absolutely brilliant!

"He didn't hurt you too badly, did he? Were you still injured?" she asked, reigning in her amusement. Regardless of the possible slapstick value that training may have had, Luffy had still been grievously injured and Rayleigh was one of the most powerful fighters in the world.

"Nah," Luffy laughed flippantly, "I mean, he used haki so it hurt, but he was totally going easy on me."

Nami hummed. Rayleigh 'going easy' on Luffy wasn't all that comforting. As established when she and Luffy began their training after they left Alabasta, they have _very_ different definitions of what 'going easy' means. The possibility of Rayleigh having an even more skew whiff definition than Luffy was mildly terrifying.

"Good, I'm glad he was considerate not to beat your ass too hard."

"I know right!" he exclaimed, her sarcasm barely registering with him, "He's probably one of the strongest guys I've ever met!"

"It's very likely that he is _the_ strongest guy we've ever met." Nami acknowledged, nudging Luffy playfully with her shoulder, "It's lucky you made such a good impression on him."

"I guess so," Luffy considered briefly, "But we'd have been fine! Rayleigh is really cool."

"You say that with such confidence…" He was right though, Rayleigh was cool, but if he had taken a disliking to them for any reason, Nami was sure not even Kuma would have been able to save them, "So, your Observation Haki?" she prodded gently, trying to get back onto topic.

"Oh yeah!" Luffy uhh-ed for a second, scratching his cheek with his free hand, "It really _is _hard to explain. Like being able to smell things! How do you explain how that feels?"

"Hmm, fair point." Nami conceded. It did make sense that this particular branch of haki would be more of an abstract concept, which are difficult to describe for anyone let alone Luffy, but it did give her an idea, "How about this then; you close your eyes, and use your Observation, and describe what you feel?"

He looked at her, lower lip puckered in a thoughtful manner, considering the idea, "That might work! Good thinking, Nami!" He grinned at her.

"Of course it is, now hop to it." She ordered, turning her nose up imperiously despite the warm and fuzzy feeling his compliment instilled in her.

Luffy closed his eyes and his expression slowly faded to neutral. He was the very depiction of calm and focused. It wasn't often she got to see Luffy so intent like this. Nami's eyes combed over every inch of his visage that she could see in the low light, searching for any sign of his Haki in action.

The moment of silence dragged out for an age, making Nami want to fidget with impatience. She sat forward away from Luffy's side to get a better look at him. It wouldn't be beyond him to have fallen asleep.

"I can sense them." he uttered finally. His tone was focused, absent of the energy and vigour that it was normally filled with, "Everyone in the palace."

"Zoro?" Nami prompted.

"In the dining hall, passed out besides Chopper."

"You can tell what state they're in too?" She said, impressed. It went to show how little she actually knew about Haki.

"Uh huh." Luffy nodded, not opening his eyes.

"How about Robin?"

"In the library, stealing books."

"Figures." It was interesting how both their room and the library was just coming down with books when Nami only ever saw Robin buy maybe 2-3 books any time they were on an island. Turns out she would… liberate some of the older, more unique tomes from any library, personal or otherwise she could get access to on whatever island they were on, "Princess Shirahoshi?"

"She's sleeping in the Throne Room with Bro-hoshi, and the others."

"Aww, that's so cute." Nami cooed. All of them had been through so much recently, especially with Shirahoshi being locked up for so long, it was nice to think of them all sleeping in the same room together. The picture of the princess cuddled up with her father and 3 brothers was far too precious!

But now her curiosity was piqued!

"So what are you seeing or feeling in order to tell where they are?" Nami asked barely holding her eagerness, "How can you tell if they're asleep or not? Does having too many people in one room make it difficult to discern specific individuals?"

"Umm…" Luffy's brow creased, struggling to find the words while maintaining his Haki, "It's kinda like everyone gives off… uhh… energy, I guess? It's specific to that person. I wish I could remember the way Rayleigh put it. His way made more sense."

"Energy, huh?" Nami muttered to herself, "Like an aura?"

"Yeah! That's the word!" he exclaimed, "Everyone has an aura! I can find someone I know by finding their aura-thingy."

"That makes sense," she said, "So do you '_see_' everyone's aura? Like, does it have colour?"

The captain focused on his ability, looking to gain an answer, "Nope!" He concluded, "I can feel it though, kinda how wood feels different to dirt."

A surprisingly concise answer. For someone who found describing his ability so awkward, Luffy was really coming up with some choice words. Could be he'd never thought much about it before, and just needed a push in the right direction.

"Hmm, interesting… can you describe any of them? Say, Sanji?" Nami proposed. What was the extent Observation worked to? Because if it involved minute detail, then it would be handy for making plans in the future, especially knowing both Sanji and Zoro could use it too.

Granted, said plans would probably be rendered useless within minutes of being put into place, but it was a nice idea.

"Sanji feels like Sanji." Luffy stated after a moment, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No you id-!" Nami caught herself mid-outrage, her fist ready to clobber her boyfriend over the head. No, that wouldn't be fair on him. He was doing his best, and she didn't want to fall back on the habit of hitting him when he made a mistake, rubber man or not. "No, I meant 'can you describe it specifically?' Like how you did with dirt and wood."

His face lit up in understanding, "Oh yeah! For sure!"

There was a moment when Luffy fell silent, that Nami thought he was searching out their cook when he spoke, "Thanks for not hitting me."

Nami jumped, "How did you-?" she stopped when she registered her own question, "No never mind. I shouldn't have even attempted to in the first place, I'm sorry."

Now she felt horrible. It never even occurred to her that her hitting him actually had an effect. Of any kind. It was something she'd done since they'd met, and given that she had seen Luffy knocked through walls and get up unscathed, Nami never thought much of it. That needed to change. She needed to talk to the others about it. That was one thing that needed to change.

"It's okay…" Luffy trailed off, retaking his focus.

…

"Sanji feels like…" he began, "Like fire if it wasn't hot. Or at least what i think it would be like. A friendly fire, like a campfire or something."

"That makes sense," Nami smiled, "Warming, comforting, and great for making a meal. But will also burn everything down if agitated." It fit Sanji to a T.

"What about Franky?" she proposed.

"Really big and soft." Luffy replied, "Nothing like metal at all."

"He is a colossal softy, so that's fair." Nami laughed softly.

Seeing Luffy's nose twitch on contact with her breath made her realise how close she was to him. Nami almost found it funny. 2 years ago on the lawn deck of Sunny, they sat together in a position not too dissimilar to how they are now. It was back then she leapt away from Luffy in order to keep some semblance of a platonic relationship between the two of them. What a silly idea that was.

That was the night that they both came forward with their feelings for one another, and lead them to the relationship they were in now.

God, it felt so long ago.

"So, then…" Nami began softly, heat rising through her body, "What about me?"

Luffy was silent. She could see his attention turn fully onto her, mere inches away. Even though his eyes were closed she knew he could see as clearly as on a summer's day. Nami felt his eyes on her, taking in everything.

That night after Little Garden when she teased Luffy into getting an eyeful of her body, Nami knew there was nothing behind his gaze. He looked at her like we would Zoro or Robin. Nothing. She may as well have been a piece of the ship.

But this felt different.

With his eyes closed, Luffy was seeing her in whatever weird way Observation Haki allowed him to. His 'gaze' was racking over every inch of her. Nami could feel it. There was intent behind it. Heat continued to rise. Surely, he had to know what she was feeling right now.

It was probably her imagination, her rational mind spoke, there was no way Observation Haki could be felt by anyone other than the person using it. She would have noticed before now.

That didn't matter.

Nami had ever so slowly been inching towards Luffy, waiting for him to speak. The distance between their faces was purely theoretical.

"Warm." he uttered, his lips brushing against hers by a hair's breadth, his breath warming her skin, "Bright, like a sunrise."

Luffy's words hung in the air. The tension in Nami's body was taught as a freshly round spring. The heat, now blazing through her veins was almost unbearable as it itched at her skin, begging to be unleashed. All she needed was one final push.

"I love it."

And like that, the dam broke and fire poured forth.

Nami pressed her lips to Luffy's with a passion and fervor beyond every other time they kissed. She pressed him back up against the wall straddling his legs, desperate to get as close to him as possible. God how she needed it. Judging by the way Luffy's hands gripped at her waist, he felt the same.

His rough hands pressing tightly into her sides felt good in a way Nami was completely unable to put into words, not that she wanted to. Her brain was fogged up with no real thoughts in particular. Only intent. She knew what she wanted and she was gonna get it by the night's end.

Their lips pressed, and moved against the other's trying to maintain as much contact as physically possible while their tongues wrestled with one another. There was no real need for dominance. It purely away to release as much passion as physically possible. Nami's hands snaked their way around her boyfriend's neck making sure he wouldn't even entertain the thought of pulling away. The want for air had become a necessity that neither would entertain.

When Luffy's right hand moved up and took a firm grasp of her breast, Nami let loose a moan she barely thought herself capable of. One of passion and want. As he began to knead the soft flesh she took completely leave of her senses. Lust boiled up through her mind like wildfire, destroying every pragmatic thought in her brain.

_Protection?_

Didn't matter, Chopper could sort her out in the morning, if needs be.

_Did Luffy even know what sex was?_

He would once she was done with him. He was a quick learner when it came to practical things.

_Was she even ready for this?_

If she wasn't before, then she was now.

Nami barely registered the fingers of Luffy's left hand slowly poking their way below the waistband of her jeans and underwear, encouraged by her response to the ministrations of his right hand.

An idea stuck Nami like lightning. They needed a better place than this balcony. She remembered being given a room for the night by one of the many stewards of the palace. Yes. That would do lovely.

When she pulled back from their kiss, Luffy tried to crane his head forward, wanting to keep the make out session going as long as possible. Fighting to regain her breath, Nami shook her head. Rushing blood roared through her ears and her lungs burned with relief at being allowed blessed oxygen once more.

Without a word, Nami stood up, and pulled Luffy to his feet. The promise of '_we'll continue soon' _went unsaid, but was communicated loud and clear. Barely missing a beat they both turned and ran indoors, searching for Nami's room.

So warmed had they been by their little passion fuelled session, they hadn't realised how cold it was outside. The heat of the palace greeted them like a warm blanket, serving as encouragement for the pair to pick up the pace.

And so they did.

Nami was determined to make this a night to remember.

.o0o.

_**~Absence makes the heart grow bolder~**_

_**(Notes: 6 Months? What do you mean it's been 6 Months!? I just uploaded last week!**_

_**So I'm back. Needed a little break there. Burned out a little. It was just one fiasco after another with getting 2 jobs, both my dogs dying, and general other BS going on. I just needed a break. **_

_**But I am back. I can't promise an upload every week like before. It's just not possible, but I will still be plugging away to catch this story up to cannon, then I'll return to **__**A Letter to My Younger Self**__**. Thank you so much for your patience.**_

_**As for the chapter; This is the most out of character I feel I've written these two, so I understand if anyone isn't too much of a fan, but I feel I've made enough build up to warrant it. Plus I'm sure anyone who's been in love can attest to it making them act out of character too. I know I can.**_

_**It was fun to write.**_

_**Btw I know 'aura' is a misnomer for how haki works, but it fits the explanation**_

_**Also big up to my dude Jumanj for being a real one! Cheers pal!**_

_**Next Chapter is Film Z!)**_


	19. The 18th Night

_**~The 18th Night~**_

.o0o.

There was nothing more satisfying to Nami than a job well done. She just couldn't top the feeling of seeing hours of hard work paid off in the form of an impeccably drawn map. The physical evidence of her time spent working towards her dream was a truly glorious sight! She glanced up at the clock above her desk. Five to midnight, perfect! Just in time for the night watch with Luffy!

The two of them would be keeping watch over the ship for the first 4 hours of the night to be replaced by Usopp and Brook. Though something told Nami there wouldn't be much watching going on tonight…

She straightened up in her chair, her spine letting out a series of sharp, satisfying pops.

"Oof," she mumbled, rubbing her back, "Need to stop leaning forward so much… gonna get back problems."

Reclining in her seat Nami held up her map to get a good look at it. It was of Dock Island. The place that had served as their temporary base of operations while fighting Z and his New Marines. She wanted to try a new drawing method for her maps, one which was apparently faster once fully practised. Nami wasn't fully convinced by it.

She could see merit in the idea, however. Her usual technique involved her drawing a quick sketch of all the major landmarks and features of the island in pencil first. They were usually the trickier bits to chart so getting them right first was imperative. Some time was lost doing it this way, but it resulted in a higher quality of map. Thankfully, Nami was a master by this point, so it took her about 10 minutes to do at most.

But that was the thing... Those 10 minutes would inevitably become harder to come by as they got further into the New World. Hell, they hadn't been here more than 3 hours when Z showed up and promptly wrecked the Sunny. So efficiency in time management was key. If Nami could cut out that time off her map making, then that was 10 minutes spent getting ready for anything ahead.

So this new technique cut out that first step entirely. Instead she was to plot every major coordinate on the graph paper to give the general shape of the island and its landmarks, so that when it came to adding the details there would be no chance of accidentally making something bigger than it needed to be. A nice idea. Trades a slightly awkward start in finding where coordinates would go on a black sheet for getting straight into the nitty gritty of the map.

It just didn't look right to her eyes though…

Of course Nami took the time to review the method in full before beginning, a trial this may have been but damn if she wasn't going to try and get it right the first go, but after that it went really well. She would even go as far to say it went flawlessly. So what was wrong with it?

She held it up the last map she had managed to complete, Fishman Island. Now that was a fun map to draw. Nami compared the major differences of the drawings, maybe she could see what the problem was.

"Hmm," she held the sheets side by side, the Library light behind her shining directly on them, giving the clearest possible view.

There were obvious differences given the technique. The line work on the Fishman Island was thicker and less scratchy than the Dock Island. Both characteristics of her regular drawing method. Not what was bugging her however…

Maybe it was the ink that she has used? Nami did buy a small pot of quick drying ink before they left Dock Island for the express of drawing this map. Just to make sure she didn't smug a perfectly good line. "_Made with the hardiest ingredients in the New World!"_ the clerk had boasted. Nami scoffed at him then, and she scoffed now. What a load of bumf.

Regardless, that wasn't it either. The new ink dried to a lighter shade of black than her normal stuff, but it was still perfectly visible and consistent. That old clerk may have tried to oversell it trying to swindle her, but he still sold a good product. So what was it?

Nami sigh, setting the paper down. This was going nowhere annoyingly fast. She removed her reading glasses and rubbed her eyes till she was seeing spots. It was best she just leave it for now, she was getting sleepy.

There probably wouldn't be much watching going on tonight, because Nami would be out like a light!

But really, she was tired. Not enough sleep these last couple days. She rolled up the maps to take with her. She would ask Robin for a second opinion provided she wasn't already asleep. Flicking the lights off, Nami left the library to get ready for the night shift.

The only light available on deck was that which shone from the windows of the kitchen, where it sounded like a rather lively game of jenga was happening. A game in which Luffy was actually good at. It was hilarious watching him beat literally every single member of the crew when they first bought the blocks, though Sanji and Franky definitely gave him a run for his money. Turns out her boy's obscene luck was pretty useful after all.

"Idiots." Nami muttered fondly hearing a large cheer, presumably marking someone crashing unceremoniously out of the game.

She'd probably have to call Luffy away if they didn't wind up soon. Those boys - assuming it was all the boys - would play till the crack of dawn if left unchecked.

Nami made it to her shared room with Robin, slightly surprised to see light beneath the door, marking her roommate as still awake. Normally she'd be in bed for about an hour now.

Entering the room, Robin, dressing in a fluffy, pink dressing gown, was perched on the edge of her bed brushing her damp hair and humming a light tune to herself.

"You're in a good mood." Nami said, kicking off her sandals.

"Good evening to you too." Robin replied blithely, "Is that a problem?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure the last time I caught you humming you'd buried a cadaver under the floorboards."

"I had to drown out it's heartbeat somehow. It was driving me mad."

"But did you have to sound so cheerful?" Nami threw her rolled up maps onto her own bed, and went looking for a good sweater.

"No, but I worked hard to get it. It isn't easy sneaking a body out of a morgue, you know." Robin's brush broke through a knot with an unnervingly loud snap.

"You are absolutely horrifying, I hope you know that." Nami deadpanned her friend. It's what she got for trying to make a morbid joke. Robin just smiled enigmatically.

Nami pulled out a thick, blue woolen jumper from her dresser, and pulled it on, "Okay, but really, what's got you in a good mood."

"Nothing in particular really." The archaeologist said noncommittally, "It's just been a nice, peaceful day is all. Everything feels back to normal."

"I suppose so…" Nami could see her point, one could argue that they hadn't had a normal day as a crew since before Sabaody. A day where they all just hung out and did their own thing was nice reprieve from the chaos that had been the New World thus far. But she wasn't entirely sold.

"You sure it wasn't because you spent time with a certain someone today?" Nami prodded slyly. She had no idea if Robin did have anything going on with anyone else on the ship, but judging from the minuscule yet undeniable, twitch in her shoulders, Nami had hit the nail on the head.

"What do you mean?" Robin said coolly. Her expression was just too even to be believable.

"I dunno…" Nami began looking at her nails, looking at the older woman getting changed from the corner of her eye, "Maybe there's someone on this crew who you particularly like spending time with?"

Robin buttoned up her ghoul-pattern pajama top, her shoulders looking particularly tight, "I like spending time with everyone on the crew…" she sounded genuinely confused.

God this woman was good…

"Oh come off it Robin!" Nami exclaimed, "You know you can tell me! I'm literally screwing the captain of this ship. Whoever you like can't be worse than that, can it? Unless it's Brook… it's not Brook is it?" Now she had worried herself. It couldn't be Brook…

The length of time Robin held a straight face was admirable, but slowly her facade began to crack. First it was a twitch of her lips. Then her shoulders began to shake, followed by a grin and a giggle. Before…

"DERESHISHISHISHI!" Robin howled, doubling over "DERESHISHISHISHISHIII!"

Nami was struck dumb.

She had never heard Robin laugh like this… ever. It was hard enough to get her to laugh beyond a light chuckle or giggle at the best of times. Everyone just assumed her humour was too dark to find anything else funny. Not that it really mattered. Robin showed her joy differently to everyone else, primarily but just being as near to people as comfortable. But this? This was something different entirely…

Robin continued to laugh for a solid minute before it was quelled into giggles.

"What was that?" Nami breathed. She felt like she'd been shaken to her core.

"So-sorry," Robin apologised, "I really wasn't expecting that."

"No kidding. I've never heard you laugh like that before." Nami regained control of her senses a bit.

"Ah, well," she sounded unsure, like she was trying to find the right words. A rarity for the accomplished bookworm, "Last time I laughed like that I had been shot… So I don't exactly associated it with humour."

"Was it really that bad?" Nami asked, incredulously, " I know the idea of being with Brook is bad, but _that bad?_"

"No, it wasn't that bad," Robin conceded, "That's the first time I've ever laughed like that because I found something funny. I don't know what came over me."

"Well, make sure you do it more often. That was adorable."

"You think so?"

"Definitely." Nami affirmed, "But back on topic, who is it?"

"I can assure you there is nothing romantic going on if that's what you are getting at." The archaeologist assured.

"So you admit there is something!" It was a 'gotcha' moment if Nami ever had one.

"If you're that set on it, then yes, something did happen." Robin sat on the edge of her bed again, looking put out.

"What was it? Was it good, bad, or wh-"

"Chopper called me 'mum'"

Nami's jaw dropped, "No way."

She had a mental list of things to expect. It was mostly weird things Nami thought might happen due to the average brain cell count on the Strawhat Pirates being about 10. With her and Robin really bringing the number up. Everything from Zoro forgetting to get dressed in the morning, to Luffy getting himself tied up in the sails. This was not on the list.

"It was completely on accident, mind." Robin said, twiddling her thumbs. In terms of showing nerves, it was the equivalent of her rolling on the ground panicking.

This time it was Nami's turn to be overcome with a fit of the giggles. She doubled over, hand over mouth, trying her best not to over do it too much. Yet she couldn't help it! This was too cute! That laugh of Robin's was nothing on this!

"H-hey! Don't laugh!" her roommate exclaimed, going pink round the ears, "This is serious!"

"Awk, but Robin, you'll make such a good mum to him! Hehehe!" Nami teased gleefully, "It's so sweet, he thinks of you like a mum! It had you humming! Ahahaha!"

Robin was now pink from head to toe. What a fun evening this was.

"You're missing the point, Nami…" Robin mumbled, "It has me scared."

The navigator's jaw clamped shut. Her friend looked genuinely worried in a way Nami hadn't seen in such a long time. The idea of Chopper calling Robin 'mum', even if by mistake, was such a wholesome idea, Nami literally couldn't see anything wrong with it. The older woman dotted on him so much it was easy to imagine. Besides it wasn't unique for the crew to see each other as family. Nami herself thought of Usopp and Zoro as brothers for example.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just…" Robin began, "It's fine if it was a mistake. Similar to calling a teacher 'mum' or 'dad', everyone has done it once, and it does make me happy because of how sweet of a thought it is… but…" she trailed off.

Nami had long since moved to sit beside her friend, a hand resting on her lower back. Robin, normally the composed one, looked shaken. It had her on edge as well.

"What if he does think of me as a mother?"

"What's wrong with that?" Nami asked, encouragingly, "You're already such a caring figure to him. You carry sweets in you bag in case he gets hungry for goodness sake!"

Robin didn't look convinced, "It's not that. Doesn't he already have a mother? Doctorine?"

"You mean Doctor Kureha? Yeah, he does, but it isn't like you're gonna replace her or anything. Having a parental figure for him out here, can only do Chopper good, yeah?" She tried to placate her friend's nerves.

It was well known among the crew that Robin had intimacy issues that came tied with feelings of inadequacy. Look what happened when the crew started calling her 'friend'. They wound up storming Enies Lobby and declaring war on the world. So it made sense she'd freak out at being called 'mum' out of the blue.

"I suppose so," she shrugged, "But what if I'm not any good? I didn't exactly have good motherly figures in my life."

"A fair point," Nami conceded, "So then what have you been doing up till this point? To potentially make him see you as a mother."

Robin hesitated, averting her gaze to anywhere but Nami.

"That wasn't rhetorical."

"I treated him like I wish was treated." she uttered softly. Her hand where gripped tightly on her lap.

Nami gave her a sympathetic smile, rubbing soft, calming circles on her back, "And you've done magnificently, Robin, but I think you've you've forgotten one crucial detail…"

"And what might that be?" Robin looked at her with an eyebrow quirked.

"You said it yourself," Nami grinned, "It was totally on accident. A slip of the tongue, and even then, you'll have been doing such a fine job regardless."

Robin sat still as a statue for a moment, taking in her words. Clearly she had forgotten that little detail. Caught up in her own insecurities as she was. Finally she closed her eyes and took a deep, soothing breath.

"You're right." She said, finally. Her voice sounding a little shaky, "I got too far ahead of myself, and panicked. I just never thought of being a mom in any way before. Sorry for dumping all of that on you like I did."

"No need to apologise," Nami smiled softly, "It's what friends are for."

She stood, and stretched. The clock on the wall read half past midnight. Looks like she was the one going to be late to watch, not Luffy.

"It beg the question, I think." Robin piped up after a moment, sounding genuinely curious.

"What does?" Nami asked, picking her maps off the bed. She'd totally forgot to ask Robin about then. Best do it now before she leav-

"Will you and Luffy ever have kids?"

…

Her and Luffy… having kids…?

…

Nami felt her brain begin to sizzle. A picture of a little, brown eyed baby with curly black hair burned itself into her imagination…

"NOPE. NOT AT ALL. NEVER." Nami said, louder than necessary, steam pouring from her ears "I WON'T BE TAKING ANY MORE QUESTIONS THANK YOU VERY MUCH. GOODBYE."

She prompted marched out of the room slamming the door firmly behind her. The sound of Robin's giggles emanating from the room. At least someone found it funny.

Nami stomped her way across the deck towards the kitchen. Her having kids. Talk about unexpected. It was literally the last thing on her mind at literally any point of anything, and then stupid Robin had to go and bring it up. Now she was all flustered. Over what? Nothing!

The lights were still on in the kitchen when Nami entered. She was greeted by the sight of Luffy, Sanji, Franky, Usopp and Brook leaning eagerly over a wonky tower of jenga bricks. Sanji was halfway through pulling a brick out of the bottom layer. Usopp was wiping the cook's brow with a dish cloth in a vain effort to keep the sweat out of his eyes. The other three where all on their haunches, daring the bricks to fall with varying levels of intensity.

Franky was kneeling on the ground, his tiny robot hands scribbling away on a comically small notebook. Brook was beside him, face inches away from the brick was pulling out. And Luffy? He was on the table, on his elbows and knees sweating profusely as the brick moved.

Every single head whipped around to watch her march in. Nami didn't even want to acknowledge what was likely the tensest game of jenga ever played, so she walked right past it to where the spare duvet was kept. The silence was deafening. She must have had a pretty fierce on her face. Good. She wasn't for talking much right now.

She grabbed the duvet under arm and turned to leave. Luffy had sat up to peak over the jenga tower to get a good look at her. Nami grabbed his wrist on the way past.

"We're going on watch now." She declared.

Luffy waved goodbye to the others as she dragged him towards the crows nest.

The climb up the ladder was quiet, although judging by the occasional 'hum' and 'hah' by Luffy, Nami guessed he wasn't intent on it staying that way. That was fine, she just needed to get her head on straight first.

The crow's nest, for lack of a better word, fucking stank. Nami loved Zoro, she really did, but if he was gonna use it as a gym then the least he could do was open a damned window. Or fumigate it. It really didn't help that he refused to shower after work outs either, so all the stink just sat and festered.

She made a mental note to strong arm Usopp into helping her deep clean the place in the coming weeks.

Barely had she thrown the duvet and maps down, and begun opening windows had Luffy asked started speaking,

"Nami, what's wrong?" he asked, "You look all pink on and flustered."

"Nothing major." she answered honestly, pushing open the last window, "I just got caught for a loop is all."

"But you aren't a loop?"

Idiot.

"It's a metaphor, Luffy, I means I got taken by surprise."

"Ahh, makes sense," he nodded, "How'd that happen."

"It was Robin," Nami replied, opening the last window, "She asked if the two of us would ever have kids."

To nobody's surprise Luffy pulled a face like someone rubbed shit under his nose.

"No thanks." He plopped himself down on the folded up duvet like it was a bean bag, "Kids are cool, but we got stuff to do, y'know."

"Too right." she agreed dropping down beside him. The blanket was incredibly comfy and she was more than ready to sleep cuddled into Luffy's side like this, but with all the windows open it was gonna get cold soon, so they'd have to get under it at some point.

"What made her ask that though? Is she thinkin' of kids?"

"Pfft!" Nami snorted, "God no. Chopper accidentally called her 'mum' earlier and it made her panic."

"Shishishi! That's hilarious! She's okay though, right?" Luffy laughed.

"Oh yeah, she's fine. I talked her through it, so she's right as rain." she assured her boyfriend with a wave.

"That's good, I'm glad." He grinned brightly at her.

Nami smiled back. She snuggled into Luffy's side, pulling her arms out of their sleeves to keep them warm. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. Ah, now this was relaxing. The smell was even dissipating.

Still, one little thing was still sitting on her mind. The definitive answer to Robin's question, in the long term at least. Just to know where they both stood on the matter.

"Would you _ever_ wants kids, Luffy?" Nami asked softly.

"Hmm, probably." he shrugged after a moment, "Not for a long time. What about you?"

"Same. Not until I finish my map at the very least."

Their conversation lulled. They lay together, purely enjoying enjoying each other's presence. Nami could barely remember the last time they had been able to lay together like this. It was probably after leaving Strong World. Okay, maybe there was that one morning on Fishman Island, but that didn't count considering they were both naked, and it quickly devolved into another round of the previous night's activities.

Definitely didn't count.

It was good though…

"The New World really is amazing, huh?"

Luffy's words pulled Nami out of her thoughts. He was thinking about their, the crew's adventure. It made sense. They had barely been here a week and the Second Half of the Grand Line was living up to its reputation.

"It really is," Nami yawned softly, fighting off the sleep that was slowly encroaching on her mind, "Z and his New Marines were a tough nut to crack."

"Oh yeah, he was super strong." she could hear the grin in his voice.

It was a trait that she really admired in Luffy. His ability to look back at anything and always remember the fun he had. Sometimes it was a cool locale. Others, like now, it was because of a good fight. He rarely ever thought of any adventure poorly once all was said and done.

Nami was a little envious of it.

The Battle with the New Marines wasn't that tough, no more than the New Fishman Pirates at least. There certainly were a lot of 'New' things going about she thought derisively. It wasn't what Nami would call 'enjoyable' either. Something about being on a time limit to stop an absolute nutter from blowing up the world put her on edge.

Gyoncorde Plaza was almost… laid back by comparison to fighting the New Marines. The entire crew was itching for a fight. A chance to show off how strong they were. It just so happened that Hody Jones and his group of xenophobic, Arlong worshipping assholes where the perfect punching bags. The stakes weren't as high, that was for sure.

Then again, you don't really go higher than 'Madman with a death wish willing to blow a hole in the earth itself killing _everyone_ to settle a grudge'. Especially not when they were the only ones around to stop it.

On Fishman Island, they had 2 major goals; protect Princess Shirahoshi, and King Neptune, and defeat the New Fishman Pirates without seeming overly aggressive. The rest was entirely on the people of the island.

On Piriodo, they had a set time to beat the shit out of Z and his lackeys, and disable the Dyna stones before the world went 'POP' in a cloud of volcanic ash and pyroclastic flow.

A small, but distinct difference in the urgency required Nami thought.

And here Luffy was enjoying the memories of a good fight.

"To think we're gonna meet entire crews with people as strong as Z…" she mumbled, feeling a little sour. She was confident in her abilities. She had trained hard, and thoroughly. She even planned to pick up her sparring with Luffy as soon as possible, but it would be a cold day in hell before she looked forward to fighting a monster like that!

"I know! I'm so excited!" Luffy's laugh almost sounded like a giggle. As fearless as ever, "I still have so many cool new moves to show off!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Her lovable boyfriend was many things, captain, future king, funny, handsome, and so on. But generally creative was not one of those things. Yet when it came to his Devil Fruit ability, his ingenuity was unparalleled. The only person that came close was Chopper.

"I invented a new Gear." he whispered conspiratorially, as if he was afraid the wind would give away his secret.

"Gear Fourth?" Nami took a logical stab at guessing it's name.

"Uh huh," Luffy confirmed, "I have different versions of it, depending on what I need."

Now that was interesting. Nami propped herself up giving him her full attention. Both Gear Second and Third, as powerful as they were, were very one note, and didn't cover nearly all the bases a brawler like Luffy needed, given their immense drawbacks. Even if he had circumnavigated said drawbacks during the 2 years away.

Have a Gear that held inherent versatility would be an invaluable boon for sure.

"So how does it work?" Nami queried, and eyebrow cocked. Luffy clearly wanted to rave about his new found abilities, and she was more than willing. Besides, it would be useful to know.

"Well, you know how Gear Third works?" he asked, getting her nod as confirmation, "It's like that only with my muscles instead of my bones!"

He said that like it was the most amazing and awe inspiring revelation in the world, but it sounded rather grotesque.

Nami considered the idea for a minute. It certainly was unique, but its application wasn't immediately apparent to her. Gear Second to advantage of basic biology to give Luffy a small boost in strength enabling to throw faster punches and utilise Shave, which in turn made him hit harder through simple physics. Force = Mass x Acceleration and all that. Gear Third was incredibly simple. If Gear Second - and Shave by extent - Increased Acceleration to produce more Force, then Gear Third increased Mass by a monumental degree. Both being back up by Luffy's already ungodly strength.

So how did Gear Fourth match up? It did neither of those things. If anything, on paper, it would do the opposite. Inflated muscles would hinder movement, just look at any major body builder, and it didn't have solid bone behind it to increase strength like Gear Third so…

"But wouldn't that be incredibly awkward for you?" Nami was genuinely confused, "You'd be really squishy and it would be hard to move around, wouldn't it?"

Luffy's grin just widened. It was cute seeing how much he enjoyed talking about fighting related stuff. He tapped his nose with his free hand knowingly. Apparently she had missed a trick.

The arm he had over her shoulders lifted up into her view, and without a word turned coal black.

Oh right. Haki.

Nami face-palmed with an exasperated groan, "Ah fuck. I totally forgot about Haki."

"Shishishi, it's fine," Luffy placated as he rubbed her shoulder with his blackened hand. It felt rather odd. His skin still had the texture and warmth of flesh, but there was no give in it whatsoever.

"Well go on then," Nami groused good naturedly, "Tell us how this new Gear of yours works and how great it is, since you're so eager."

"Sure!" Luffy exclaimed, like a child showing off a new toy, "Basically I inflate the muscles all across my body and coat most of it in Armament Haki. It does make my body real squishy, but the haki help cushion hits so I barely feel any of it! It's super nifty!"

He lifted his blackened arm from over Nami's shoulders and bit into his forearm. The he started to blow. The phrase 'rippling muscles' was one that got thrown around a lot when it came to particularly buff people, Zoro and Sanji were perfect examples of that, but what Luffy was doing now was the literal manifestation of that phrase. Every sinew wobbled and warped as air was pumped into it, expanding his entire arm. She right in thinking it looked rather grotesque.

Luffy offered his arm to her, wanting Nami to see his words in action.

Freeing an arm from under her jumper she pressed her palm against his forearm. It felt springy. The skin itself, like before when he rubbed her shoulder, had absolutely not give in it whatsoever. It may as well be rock. But the air and muscle underneath it displaced easily, resisting the force she was exerting on it like some kind of springboard.

"Cool, huh?" Luffy offered seeing the fascinated look on her face.

"Yeah, it is." Nami agreed, poking away at his arm, "How'd you figure this out?"

His arm deflated with the sound of a punctured balloon, "It took a lot of practicing, that's for sure!" He laughed merrily, placing his arm back over her shoulders pulling Nami into his side, "I worked it out after I got the hang of Armament , and then it was just a crap of practice to make it usable."

Nami gave a low whistle, "Go you. That's impressive Luffy." she praised. If he wanted to be King, then this was the kind of creativity and determination he would need to get to the top, "What about you're mobility? How'd you get around that?"

"I can fly." He stated plainly.

"Pardon?" Nami had to have misheard him.

"I can fly." Luffy repeated as if it was self explanatory.

"Sorry babe, but you're gonna have to elaborate on that one. How the hell do you _fly_." Flinging himself massive distances was one thing, but flying?

"Well, you know how if you hold onto a balloon with one hand, and poke it with a finger, then when you let go it goes flying?"

"I do." It was trick Nojiko showed her when they were kids at a festival back home.

"That's how I do it." Luffy concluded with a nod. Seemingly happy that his explanation covered everything.

Nami stared up at him, jaw hanging, "But tha-that doesn't explain anything!" she managed, "How do you generate enough power to get in the air! Let alone staying up!"

Franky once told her the physics of how Sunny was able to 'fly'. She stood by her position of calling what Sunny does as 'flight' as being a bit much. The numbers involved in getting a ship that size out of the water alone were colossal, and to get it to travel a full kilometer in the space of time that it did was straight up unfathomable to the human mind. Not to mention the air itself fight back against it.

Now Luffy was no sloop, even if he was blown up like an oversized balloon animal, but the amount of force he would have to produce, and the way he would have to produce it, surely it wasn't possible. Nami looked at her boyfriend. He was smiling at her like he was the happiest clam. She thought about all the crazy things he'd done before, from downing multiple Warlords to beating God in a game of fisticuffs. Hell, without his Devil Fruit, Gear Second and Third fell under impossible. If the Maxim could fly, why couldn't he?

It wasn't impossible. It was improbable, and if there was a way to do it then, Luffy would have it sussed no problem.

"You know what, I'll take your word for it, Luffy." Nami conceded with a shake of the head. She looked over at him with a wide smile, "But you're definitely gonna have to show me how it works some time."

"Why not now?" Luffy fought bravely to hide his disappointment.

Nami shuffled deeper into Luffy's side, wrapping her arms around herself under her jumper, "Because I'm comfy." And as if to prove her point she gave a wide, jaw cracking yawn.

She heard him chuckle before shifting himself into a more comfortable position. She closed her eyes and settled down proper. Zoro and Usopp would likely give them a bit of a bollocking for not being on watch when they came to take over, but in her addled state Nami couldn't bring herself to care.

It was the first night in the New World that could truly be called peaceful. Of course that could change on a whim, but for now she would milk it. Fingers crossed they wouldn't come across anyone like Z and his goons any time soon.

Nami drifted off to sleep.

…

"-y Nami, wake up." A voice broke through the dense silence that was sleep followed by a gentle rocking, "It's time to go, Usopp and Zoro are here."

Nami cracked her eyes open to the blinding light of the Waking World. Or the crows nest. Luffy slow came into focus, rocking her shoulders softly. As much as a pain as it was to wake up, there were worse things to see upon opening one's eyes.

"Mmmph, hey Luffy," she mumbled sleepily, "Is our shift over?"

Zoro was standing behind the captain, looking mightily unimpressed with his arms crossed his chest and stern expression, but when didn't he look like that?

"Go on." He grumbled, sounding like he had just gotten up himself, "Get to bed, me and Usopp got it from here."

Nami nodded, vaguely aware of Usopp crouching off to the side, pouring over her maps. She'd gather them in the morning. Right now they only served to annoy her. Luffy helped her to her feet, and quickly gathered up the duvet under one, stretched arm.

"Hey Nami," Usopp piped up, "You made a mistake on one of your maps."

"Hmm?" What do you mean?" Nami rubber her eye in some vain attempt to waken enough to make it to her bed.

The marksman help up the Dock Island map that had caused her grief and pointed to the conspicuously blank top corner, "You forgot the Key."

Nami stared at the map, gears clunking in her brain. She looked from the top corner of that map, to the corner of the Fishman Island map, laying bare for the world to see. The latter had a key. The former did not.

…

"MOTHERFUC-"

.o0o.

_**~Peace doesn't come Easy~**_

_**(Notes: Didn't plan on doing Film Z, but I thought about it, came up with some decent bits, namely the 'Robin being like a mum to Chopper' one, and the 'Nami and Luffy having kids' one, and the rest just sorta followed. Not the best I've come up with, but it was fun and fluffy.**_

_**I know I could have done more with the character moments in Film Z, given some LuNami moments could have been construed from it if looked at with one eye closed and the other almost shut. I prolly should have, but I was in a fluffy mood, and wanted to write something fun.**_

_**Thank you all so much for your kind words last time out! It warms my heart to know you all like my work so much! I want to improve to produce better works for you all going forward.**_

_**Next Chapter is Post-Punk Hazard! Promise!)**_


End file.
